Durbin holds meeting discussing staffing shortages at rural hospitals

In 2020, it was estimated that Illinois will have a shortage of 15,000 registered nurses by 2025. Sen. Dick Durbin Tuesday held a meeting with members of the National Rural Health Association to discuss challenges hospitals and healthcare providers in rural communities face. Although no healthcare groups from LaSalle County participated, the Arukah Behavioral Health Institute and Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network in Princeton did. Durbin says he secured $1 billion in federal COVID relief funds for scholarships and loan repayment awards to address the nursing shortage. He also introduced the SIREN Reauthorization Act which provides grants for rural fire and EMS agencies, which might be the only healthcare providers in an area. Durbin said after the meeting that the groups discussed how the federal government can offer support to the healthcare workforce to ensure that patients have access to best care possible.