Many of you know, Chairman Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and the members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions will soon introduce a major health care reform bill entitled, "the Affordable Health Choices Act," in the U.S. Senate. NNCC is pleased and excited to announce that the members of committee have chosen to include language from the nurse-managed health clinic investment act of 2009 in this 615 page bill.
If Senator Kennedy's initiative is enacted in its current form it will create a $50 million grant program within the Bureau of Primary Health Care for nurse-managed health clinics offering primary care and wellness services to vulnerable and uninsured populations around the country.
The inclusion of our bill language in the health care reform proposal is a tremendous opportunity for nurse-managed health clinics and we would like to thank Senator Inouye (D-HI) and Senator Alexander (R-TN) for their advocacy which helped make this happen. In particular special thanks go to Jacqueline Rychnovsky with Senator Inouye and Mary-Sumpter Johnson with Senator Alexander for their outstanding work on this project, as well as all of you for your unfailing support of our efforts at the Federal level.
Because of this opportunity we urgently need to find co-sponsors for both versions of nurse-managed health clinic act (S 1104 and HR 2754) that are currently in the House and Senate. Generating support for these bills will greatly increase the likelihood that our bill will remain a part of Senator Kennedy's reform initiative.