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Visas for foreign nurses aimed at relieving shortage
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11-15-99 Washington. Responding to the national nursing shortage, Congress passed a measure Nov. 3 to allow up to 500 foreign nurses to work at medically underserved hospitals in the United States each year. President Clinton is expected to sign the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act, which supporters claim will help ease the critical shortage of nurses in inner-city and rural hospitals. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., introduced the bill after a shortage of nurses almost forced the closure of St. Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center in Chicago's poor Englewood neighborhood. "We were asked for help by the administration of the hospital," said Robyn Wheeler, communications director for Rush. "They had to spend an extra $2 million a year hiring contract nurses at about $55 an hour." The bill would limit the number of H-1C nonimmigrant visas to 500 annually with an expiration date of three years. The program itself will expire after four years and eligibility requirements for hospitals will be strictly controlled. For example, hospitals must be in designated "health professional shortage areas," and have a minimum of 190 acute care beds with at least 35 percent of acute care days reimbursed by Medicaid. Hospitals also would be required to pay nurses the prevailing wage. The bill is narrowly drafted and did not raise the ire of nursing unions. The American Nurses Association remained on the sidelines in the debate. "Frankly, we don't think it will have much of an effect on helping these hospitals find qualified nurses," said ANA spokesperson Michael Stewart.
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