Improving the quality of healthcare to the underserved is an important step in healthcare reform. I have introduced The Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Investment Act of 2009 intended to improve access and reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations.
In my home state of Nebraska the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing operates a Family Health Care Clinic in South Omaha that serves over 300 patients a month. Since its inception 1993, the clinic has treated more than 33,600 individuals. Of those patients 60 percent were uninsured and 90% live in poverty. In Lincoln, NE the Senior Health Promotion Center provides nursing and dental services free of charge to the elderly. The Mobile Nursing Center, housed in a 36-foot mobile vehicle travels around Nebraska and Western Iowa, provides health screenings, education and referral services to those who cannot afford health care.
The Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Investment Act of 2009 provides $50 million in funding for primary care for nurse managed health clinics across the country. This money will give many individuals access to vital primary care that do not now have such access. This additional funding for nurse-managed clinics is critical to the sustainability of these valuable clinics. The nurses, and often medical students, who work at these facilities provide an exceptional level of healthcare to women, children and families. This bill is will provide quality healthcare to those who live in areas of the United States that are now receiving the level of care they deserve.