Speaking at the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals' annual convention, Governor Rendell said his $10 million budget request on top of a $31 million agreement he reached with Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency Foundation would alleviate the nursing shortage by providing incentives for hospitals to lend qualified faculty to nursing programs that can expand their class size this academic year.

It would also provide for the expansion of clinical education opportunities necessary for nursing education and provide planning grants to expanding nursing programs.

"We're not short of Pennsylvanians who want to become nurses, but we are short the capacity needed to train them," Governor Rendell said. "Together, the $10 million investment proposed in my 2006-07 budget along with the $31 million commitment from PHEAA and other state-funded nursing-shortage initiatives will make sure we have enough nurses to continue providing the quality health care Pennsylvanians deserve."

This story was originally posted on KeepMedia.com on April 24, 2006.