Caring for Missourians program may get stimulus funding
Lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives on Wednesday came up with an alternative plan for funding a program designed to reduce the shortage of nurses and other health care workers in Missouri.
Since the beginning of last year, legislators from the Columbia area have been promoting a program that would allow Missouri colleges and universities to open more slots for students who want to become medical professionals.
In his State of the State address, Gov. Jay Nixon announced his support of the Caring for Missourians program, formerly called Preparing to Care. But House Republicans have opposed allocating state money for a program that, during a period of declining revenues, would require an ongoing investment.
However, during preliminary debate over the state’s budget, there was a break in the impasse. House Budget Chairman Allen Icet, R-Wildwood, and Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, announced an agreement to provide the Caring for Missourians program with $10 million worth of federal stimulus funds.
Kelly and state Rep. Steve Hobbs, R-Mexico, said the $10 million is expected to be included in a separate state budget bill allocating the federal stimulus money.
Kelly credited a bipartisan effort and better lobbying from the higher education community in turning the tide.
“The universities did a very good job of lobbying the program with the members,” Kelly said. “And I believe there was a significant bipartisan coalition who were working together for literally months to make this happen. Vital to that was Steve Hobbs. Steve and I have been working together on this for a long time. And I’m grateful for his work on the issue.”
MU and a coalition of colleges requested $40 million in state funds for education programs that would increase the number of nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals by 20 percent.
Kelly and Hobbs both said the federal money would give the higher education community time to plan specific elements of the broader program.
“The universities agreed that it was better to start moving down the process,” Hobbs said. “Because it’s going to take awhile to put this into effect and we can use the one-time money to do that.”