NEW YORK NURSE: January/February 2009
The executive budget reduces funding for programs related to nursing education.
The Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Programs are available to registered nurses who are enrolled in educational programs preparing them to teach nursing. Funding for this program was cut by $1.5 million. This is a serious reduction in funding at a time when the demand for nurses (and for nursing faculty) far exceeds the supply.
Funding for the improvement and expansion of nursing programs at the State University of New York was cut by $300,000. The $2 million in the 2008-2009 budget enabled SUNY to educate an additional 250 RNs at 18 different nursing education programs throughout the state.