07.25.06

$2 Million Cantwell Request for Inland Northwest Nurse Training, Health Services, After School Programs Approved

WASHINGTON, DC – Tuesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved nearly $2 million she had requested for three Spokane projects. The funding includes $1.5 million for a new Washington State University (WSU) nursing facility, $300,000 for more efficient disease detection in eastern Washington, and $150,000 for after school programs in Spokane.

“These vital projects will help deliver the resources needed to address our nursing shortage, boost early disease detection, and provide first-rate medical care to all of Washington’s communities,” said Cantwell. “Through after school education programs for Spokane’s students, we can also improve graduation rates and make new, promising opportunities available to at-risk students. Each of these programs addresses a critical Inland Northwest need, and I’ll continue to fight to make sure this funding gets signed into law.”

The funding requested by Cantwell was approved last week by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. It will support construction and equipment at a new WSU medical school nursing facility in Spokane, disease detection programs through Inland Northwest Health Services, and after school programs through Spokane’s Educational Service District 101.

“These funds are critical to helping the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing based in Spokane, Washington, address the shortage of practicing nurses and nurse educators across eastern and southwestern Washington State,” said Dorothy Detlor, dean of the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing. “The funds will be used to implement and enhance the distance education capabilities in the currently under-construction nursing college on the Riverpoint campus which will provide the needed education in both rural and urban settings. These methodologies will allow nurses to obtain their education in their local communities without leaving home, thus assuring that the healthcare needs of those communities will be met in the future.”

In addition to the $1.5 million for nursing education, Cantwell secured $300,000 for Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS) in Spokane to improve regional disease surveillance and allow for more efficient early detection. More than 860,000 people live in the area encompassing the eight counties in eastern Washington and seven counties in northern Idaho served by the INHS integrated hospital information system. This system can exchange data with external organizations, including laboratories, and physician offices. INHS is currently implementing an analysis and visualization tool that identifies any relationships existing among different types of information—a capability that could be particularly valuable in public health investigations. The $150,000 for Educational Service District 101 (ESD101) in Spokane, also announced Tuesday by Cantwell, will support programs to keep students in school and bolster graduation rates, helping more students realize their full potential.

“The most recent studies cite approximately a 30 percent drop out rate,” said Superintendent Dr. Terry A. Munther. “Too many students are losing the potential to pursue their dreams for post secondary education and/or their chosen career. The toll this takes on our young people, our society and our work force is unacceptable. The drop out prevention and intervention strategies utilized by ESD 101 and the NET school have served hundreds of at risk young people each year, keeping them in school with the hope of graduating on time from their home high school. Senator Cantwell’s support of this successful model program demonstrates her understanding of the problem, its magnitude, and her willingness to be a part of the solution. The NET is an exemplary model of the partnering of ESD 101 with other local agencies and school districts serving the needs of at risk students and offering them hope for the future.”

The U.S. Senate is expected to approve these three projects in the upcoming months. Once approved, a conference committee will work out differences between House and Senate versions of the legislation. The final legislation will then go to both the House and Senate for final approval.

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