May 08, 2025 - Harrisburg, PA
The Shapiro Administration is highlighting its efforts to recruit and retain more nurses in Pennsylvania today as part of National Student Nurse Day. Departments of Health, Labor & Industry, and Human Services leaders visited HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, to promote Governor Shapiro's proposed budget that includes funding to strengthen the nursing workforce through tuition assistance, loan repayment and apprenticeship opportunities."Nurses are the backbone of our health care system," said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. "It is important that we celebrate the significant role Pennsylvania's institutions of higher learning play in preparing the next generation of nurses for this rewarding career. Governor Shapiro's budget proposal offers recruitment and retention incentives that would support more nurses entering the field."Pennsylvania is facing a nursing shortage. According to a Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) survey, Pennsylvania hospitals reported 14 percent of nursing positions are unfilled, leaving existing nurses stretched thin and working longer hours. The situation is projected to worsen, with the state expected to face a shortage of 20,000 nurses by 2026. Speakers Include:Dr. John 'Ski' Sygielski, HACC President and CEONancy Walker, Secretary of Labor and IndustryDr. Rob Bonacci, DOH Special AdvisorSally Kozak, DHS Deputy SecretaryCynthia L. Donell, HACC Associate Dean for the School of Health Science