RISCH SEEKS NEW HEALTH SCIENCE BUILDINGS
CSI, LCSC CHOOSEN FOR NEW NURSING EDUCATION FACILITIES

BOISE – The College of Southern Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College could see new health science facilities built under a proposal unveiled today by Governor Jim Risch.  Risch said he will ask the Idaho Legislature for $37 million in cash and bonding authority to build the facilities on each campus to house their nursing program.

“When I became Governor I reviewed the critical issues facing our state and it was clear the nursing crisis was a priority. In response I named a task force to address the nursing shortage and I also visited all of the nursing programs in the state.  It was very apparent to me that Lewis-Clark State College and the College of Southern Idaho need new facilities to educate the next generation of nurses,” said Risch.  “I will ask the legislature for an appropriation and bonding authority to build these two new facilities that will help address the nursing shortage.”

A new facility at the Twin Falls school would cost $21.1 million and the Lewiston-based college building would require $16 million.  The projects would be paid for from a combination of cash from the General Fund and bonds to be repaid over a 20-year period.

Risch made his announcement when he received the report of his Nursing Task Force he appointed to address the growing shortage of nurses.  The task force provided Risch with five priority recommendations to address the shortfall.

The recommendations and resource allocation for each priority include:

• Increase current nurse faculty salaries in Idaho’s state colleges and universities over the next three years to be competitive with industry standards.  $3.8 million
• Increase by 400 nursing seats over the next two years in Idaho’s state colleges and universities.  $7.6 million
• Provide necessary funding to support the work of the Idaho Nursing Workforce Center.  $300,000
• Support the development of new nursing faculty to replace retiring faculty over the next four years.  $2.7 million
• Expand and enhance the financial support available to undergraduate, graduate and post graduate students to offset the costs of nursing education, including scholarships and loans.  $600,000

Sandra Evans, chair of the Nursing Task Force, said the group is ready to tackle the long-term issues of the nursing crisis as well.

“We are very pleased to provide the Governor with our recommendations to address the immediate issues of our nursing shortage.  Implementation of these strategies will take care of the urgent needs that we are facing ” Evans said.  “We also believe that the task force should continue to work on longer range strategies to address nursing workforce needs and we stand ready to move forward on those issues.”

Governor Risch made the nursing shortage issue a priority when he became Governor in May.  Nationwide there is a nursing shortage and the prediction for Idaho is that the shortage will be double the national average.

Currently 1200 nursing students are enrolled in Idaho schools and Governor Risch noted during his inaugural speech that more than 800 students wanting to enter the program were turned away.  Over 70% of licensed nurses in Idaho are over the age of 40 and 40% of Idaho’s nurses are anticipated to retire in the next 10 years. 

Nursing instructors are also in short supply due to low salaries.  The average age of the nursing faculty is 55.

Risch appointed the 18-member task force on August 11 to bring him recommendations to address the nursing shortage with a deadline of mid-October.

Nursing Task Force Final Report

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