HARRY HUGHES, Governor

3295

A Senate Joint Resolution concerning

The Nursing Shortage

FOR the purpose of urging the Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene to study the problems of the nursing
shortage in this State guidelines, policies, and
decisions of the Health Services Cost Review
Commission, the State Health Coordinating Council, the
State Health Planning and Development Agency, the State
Board of Examiners of Nurses, the Board of Medical
Examiners and such other parts of the Department which
may affect the shortage of nurses; and providing that
the Department should report its findings to the
General Assembly by a certain date; and generally
relating to the supply and demand for nurses.

WHEREAS, The General Assembly has declared that there
is a shortage of nurses in this State; and

WHEREAS, The need for competent nurses in hospitals in
Maryland is vital to the health and well-being of the
citizens of this State; and

WHEREAS, The Health Services Cost Review Commission was
established in 1971 to perform several functions. One of
these functions is to assure all purchasers of health care
hospital services that costs of the hospital are reasonably
related to total services offered by the hospital and that
the hospital's aggregate rates are set in reasonable
relation to the hospital's aggregate costs; and

WHEREAS, The Health Services Cost Review Commission,
pursuant to its legislative mandate, has used various
guidelines and rates in an effort to hold down hospital
costs attributable to nursing costs; and

WHEREAS, The Commission's guidelines, policies, and

rates affecting nursing costs may have assisted in

increasing the shortage of nurses in this State; and

WHEREAS, The problem of the decreasing nursing

population and the role of the Commission nursing shortage
is considered a State health priority by the Senate of
Maryland, but is not identified as such in the State Health
Plan; and

WHEREAS, the State Health Planning and Development
Agency is required to consider the availability of nurses
and effect on the quality of care at other institutions when
reviewing requests for expanded facilities and new services;
and

WHEREAS, The State Board of Examiners of Nurses is
required to promulgate regulations regarding the role and
eligibility of nurses; and