Testimony Prepared for the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration & National Institutes of Health
Submitted by: Alexander Jones, PhD
Board Chair, The Blue Foundation
My name is Alexander Jones, and I take this opportunity to thank Chairperson Kyle, Ranking member, and the members of the committee for the opportunity granted to share this testimony. I am a nurse by profession, the manager, and co-founder of an upcoming project. On behalf of the Blue Foundation nurse-managed clinic, I would like to thank the Kansas government agency for being supportive of our previous projects and for encouraging upcoming projects primarily in the healthcare sector.
Representing a total of 200 medical practitioners, a combination of nurses and physician assistants, the blue foundation requests that the LHHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee releases funding of approximately $100 million for the setup and nursing development programs which are set to kick off early next year. Nurse managed health care centers have been receiving less funding compared to the federally qualified health models. We, therefore, request for a fair consideration looking at the immense impact played by this nurse-managed health care and precisely the Blue foundation.
There have been several efforts to promote and advocate for healthcare, moral and public policy in Kansas. This project is founded on the need to fill in the gap for the projected physician challenge. The Blue foundation comes with additional changes like liberalized scope-of-practice laws, a higher supply of medical assistants, practical nurses who are licensed and aides, and payment changes that are rewarding to the health care providers. The central theme of this project is providing quality and affordable care for all.
Nurse managed clinics provide affordable and quality access to healthcare in their environment. The nurses by profession have been challenged to fulfill the medical need of 32 million extra Americans by practicing their highest levels of the scope of practice and education (Linda, 2015). Enhancement of mental health and primary care is a general structure that is set to the complex needs of the people who have a mental illness. Integrated nursing practice improves the quality of the results and yields less hospitalization. It also makes it easier to manage patients suffering from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, and comorbid mental illness.
As nurses continue to expand their knowledge in leadership, business, and financial management, there is a remarkable increase in the number of nurse-managed clinics. The blue foundation, however, aims at serving the disadvantaged population of the mentally ill patients regardless of their inability to pay. Financing the care will not be a challenge if the proposed funds are released, at least until the clinic can secure reliable grants or another regular source of funds.