Dear Mr. Ramirez:

Thank you for your question regarding additional funding of training programs for Certified Nursing Assistants and Licensed Vocational Nurses. The issue of whether to expand these programs for nurses is certainly worth discussion, especially considering the present nursing shortage. The dialogue should also focus on incentives to attract more qualified individuals to the profession, since open training slots mean little without candidates to fill them. At the same time, we must ensure that efforts to increase the ranks of nursing professionals does not sidestep the importance of ensuring the highest possibly quality of care provided to patients.

Additionally, we must keep in mind that the current fiscal situation will severely limit the number of policy changes the state can implement. Many valuable programs will not receive the funding they deserve this year, simply because the dollars do not exist to meet the need. While this does not necessarily mean we must limit the policy debates, we must be realistic with the proposals we hope to put into action.

Again, thank you for your question.

Michael Machado, Senator
Fifth Senate District