As a way to address the nursing shortage currently affecting the American healthcare system, Senators Dick Durbin (D.IL) and Kevin Cramer (R. ND) introduced the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HWRA) last November. This bill aims to enhance the nation’s nurse workforce by recapturing unused immigrant visas. At Epic International Staffing, we believe this legislation will make a critical difference in ensuring our nation’s hospitals have the nurses necessary to deliver sufficient patient care.
What You Need to Know About the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act
The U.S. State Department’s Visa Bulletin indicates that the demand for employment-based green cards has far exceeded the supply. As a result, thousands of qualified international nurses with long-term employment offers at U.S. healthcare organizations have been frozen in the green card queue.
The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (S. 3211/H.R. 6205) aims to address this visa freeze by recapturing and reallocating previously issued but unused immigrant visas for nurses and physicians. Out of the maximum 40,000 allocated employment-based immigrant visas, 25,000 will be reserved for nurses whose petitions were filed no later than three years from the bill’s date of enactment. The remainder, 15,000 will be reserved for physicians.
Visas made available under the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act shall be exempt from per-country limits and will be issued according to the assigned priority date at the time of the petition’s filing. Family members of nurses may also accompany them under the available unused visas; however, these visas will not be counted in the 40,000 cap.
The HWRA was first introduced in 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it failed to pass when the 117th Congress was in session and was later reintroduced in November 2023.
Understanding the Current Nursing Shortage Crisis
To truly grasp the impact this legislation can have on the country’s healthcare system, we must provide context to the problem it aims to solve. Let’s take a look at some concerning statistics regarding the state of nurse staffing.
For years now, the country has been struggling to staff its healthcare facilities due to the increasing demand for patient care and the limited supply of healthcare workers. This was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the projections of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, an additional 275,000 nurses will need to be hired from 2020 to 2030 to accommodate the growing healthcare needs of the population.
There are many factors that contribute to this nursing shortage crisis. One is the aging population. In 2029, there will be an expected 73% increase in Americans aged 65 and over, resulting in an increased need for health services.
In addition, the nursing workforce itself is aging. It is expected that a third of the workforce will be reaching retirement age in the next 10 to 15 years. This includes nurse faculty, potentially affecting the training of the next generation of nurses.
The nurses currently in the workforce may have been leaving due to burnout. Turnover rates have been slowly climbing in recent years, with the average ranging from 8.8% to 37%, depending on location and specialty.
How the HWRA Can Help Address the Nursing Shortage Crisis
In a Time Magazine opinion editorial jointly authored by former US Health and Human Services Secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar, they recounted several instances where American citizens were denied medical care due to the lack of resources and staff. They cited an incident in which an Alabama man had succumbed to a cardiac emergency 200 miles from home after being turned away from 43 hospitals across three states. In upstate New York, a facility had to make the difficult decision to pause its maternity services due to staffing difficulties.
While healthcare facilities across the nation have long been relying on foreign-educated nurses to fill this gap – international nurses make up roughly 15% of the nurse workforce – the complex world of employment-based healthcare immigration has made it rather difficult for them to enter the country. If the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act were to be enacted, it would help streamline the immigration process, ensuring qualified international nurses with long-term employment offers at U.S. healthcare facilities can start working sooner.
With more nurses coming in, more patients can get the quality medical care they deserve and American nurses can feel less burnt out from their current workload. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act can also help get nurses and physicians to medically underserved communities and rural areas, making quality healthcare more accessible.
How You Can Help Support the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act
At Epic International Staffing, we recognize the profound impact this legislation can have on patient care. We are actively working to build support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, aiming for its passage in both the Senate and the House.
We urge everyone to reach out to their representatives in Congress and express their support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (S. 3211/H.R. 6205). While it is Congress’s role to pass legislation, we, as citizens, play a crucial part in raising awareness and advocating for these essential bills. Remember that our voices matter, especially when it comes to issues that affect us all.
Most legislators can be easily contacted via email or phone, and many consider a few comments from constituents as a significant indication of public opinion. By making it clear that the issues addressed by the HWRA matter to their constituents, members of Congress are more likely to support the bill. The more we talk about it, the more momentum we can create. Let’s take action and help build a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce.
Ensuring Quality Patient Care Through Legislative Action
The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act represents a crucial step toward addressing the severe nursing shortage in the United States. By recapturing unused immigrant visas, this legislation can bring much-needed relief to our overburdened healthcare system, ensuring that both American and international nurses can work together to provide the highest standard of care. At Epic International Staffing, we urge you to support this vital bill and join us in advocating for a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce.
About Epic International Staffing
Within the healthcare staffing community, Epic International Staffing is recognized as a pioneer in placing international nursing professionals to solve nursing shortages. Our personalized, one-to-one approach ensures that we deliver effective, long-term staffing solutions tailored to your needs. Partner with us for a dependable and transformative staffing experience.