North Carolina nursing advocates oppose program cuts

Despite a looming nursing shortage in North Carolina, a state-funded group that develops strategies to find nurses may shut down for lack of money from the General Assembly. The NC Center for Nursing was founded in 1991 to avoid nursing shortages that have periodically crippled hospitals, nursing homes, mental institutions and home healthcare services in the state. The Center, however, was not included in the state House budget that recently passed. Advocates for the Center are now trying to persuade Senate leaders to include funding in their budget.