LEGISLATORS BRING BACK FUNDING FOR FL CENTER FOR NURSING!

Florida Center for Nursing Has Been Funded!

FNPN is happy to inform our membership that the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) has received funding! While the FCN was mandated by the state legislature in 2001, it has struggled each year to secure funds, beginning with fiscal budget cuts in 2010. The FCN was forced to close in 2020.

The FCN was established to develop solutions for Florida’s nursing shortage. The mission of the FCN is to address workforce needs, recruitment, and retention of nurses. This  includes data collection on the impact of our Nurse Practitioner workforce!  The FCN provides a yearly review and report on nursing program approval, capacity, enrollment, and graduation rates. The FCN struggled each year to secure funds to keep up since fiscal budget cuts began in 2010. The FCN provides data vital to the delivery of healthcare to all Floridians.

HB4087/SB 2500 re-established the FCN and provided $800,000 in funding. Our legislative champions for this bill included Representative Kamia Brown of Ocoee and Senator Audrey Gibson from Jacksonville. The bill was signed into law by the Governor.
Thank you to the FNPN members who contacted their legislators in support of this bill as well. Your assistance will be needed each session to ensure the FCN remains funded. More details on the FCN will be available soon. Please contact FNPN Secretary, Dr. Deb Tedesco for any information needed!