It is news to no one that there is a critical shortage of registered nurses in our region. Seeking to address the current shortage of approximately 22,000 registered nurses in Texas, the Texas Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition has proposed a focused strategy to rapidly expand enrollment in schools of nursing and increase the number of nursing graduates in Texas. 

Health care cost are spiraling out of control and researchers estimate, “75% of all healthcare cost directly stem from preventable chronic health conditions, yet only 1% of the 1.9 trillion dollars spent on health care in the United States is devoted to protecting health and preventing illness and injury” (Campbell & Lanza, 2006).  Rising health care costs not only have an impact on individuals, but on employers too.  So, Senators Harkin and Smith introduced the Healthy Workforce Act (S. 1753) to assist businesses in their health promotion efforts.