H.R. 6989: Public Health Nursing Act

This bill, known as the Public Health Nursing Act, aims to enhance the public health nursing workforce in the United States. It proposes the following key actions:

Funding for Public Health Nursing

The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be responsible for overseeing initiatives to establish, expand, and sustain a workforce of public health nurses. This will be facilitated through grants provided to state, local, and territorial public health departments. The funds can be used for:

• Costs related to recruiting, hiring, and training licensed registered nurses as public health nurses.
• Medical supplies necessary for public health activities, including personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Administrative expenses related to the grant activities.

Subgrant Opportunities

The bill allows recipients of the primary grants to issue subgrants to local health departments. These subgrants can also be utilized for the same purposes outlined above.

Grant Selection Priorities

When selecting grant recipients, the Secretary will prioritize applications from those who intend to serve:

• Areas with high rates of chronic diseases or maternal and infant health issues.
• Low-income or medically underserved populations.
• Health professional shortage areas.
• Rural or traditionally underserved communities.

Additionally, applicants must demonstrate their ability to provide services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and show a commitment to labor relations by either having a collective bargaining agreement with employee organizations or ensuring workers' rights are respected.

Financial Commitment

Recipients of the grants will be required to maintain their own non-federal funding levels for public health activities at least equal to what they spent in the previous fiscal year.

Definition and Goals

A public health nurse, as defined in the bill, is a nurse who provides healthcare services and education related to various areas like preventive health, nutrition, and maternal health, aimed at improving health outcomes for mothers and infants.

Funding Authorization

The bill sets a budget of up to $5 billion per fiscal year from 2026 through 2035 to support these initiatives.

Relevant Companies

• ABT (Abbott Laboratories) - Abbott produces medical supplies and technologies that may see increased demand if public health nursing expands.
• BDX (Becton, Dickinson and Company) - BDX manufactures medical devices and supplies, relevant due to increased public health nursing needs for medical equipment.