Local News in Brief : Nursing Office Wins Funds
A proposal to set aside $1.5 million to establish a Los Angeles County office of nursing affairs was approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors as part of a new effort to recruit and retain health care workers.
Spurred by the shortage of nurses in county hospitals, the board agreed to set up an office that would focus on improving the workplace of current nurses, providing a marketing strategy to recruit additional nurses and handling other related issues.
The board withheld the actual expenditure of funds until Robert Gates, the county’s health services director, provides supervisors with a detailed report on how the recruitment money would be allocated.
The proposal was introduced by board Chairman Deane Dana, who cited a severe shortage in the number of registered nurses employed by the county. Officials estimate that between 10% and 30% of the county’s 5,500 registered nurse positions are open.
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