Funding under this category assists toward expanding basic nurse education, thereby enhancing the basic nursing workforce. Nurse managed clinics are included under this category. During the past several years, data show that nurse-managed centers provide an average of 130,000 primary care encounters per year to individuals from vulnerable and underserved populations. This program provides for up to 85 percent repayment of student loans for nurses who agree to a service payback in nursing shortage areas. Again we applaud this Subcommittee's commitment to advancing behavioral science research.
Nursing research is an integral part of the effectiveness of nursing care.
The NINR provides the knowledge base for practice of 2.7 million registered nurses. Advances in nursing care arising from nursing and other biomedical research improves the quality of patient care and has shown excellent progress in reducing health care costs and health care demands. Research programs supported by the NINR address a number of critical public health and patient care questions. The research is driven by real and immediate problems encountered by patients and families. Study results offer the clear prospect of improving health, reducing morbidity and mortality, and lowering costs and demand for health care.