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AARP Supports Measures to Improve Access to Care
AARP Kansas is strongly supporting a measure (Senate Substitute House Bill 2279) to improve Kansans' access to affordable, quality health care by cutting through the red tape that prevents nurse practitioners – and other advanced practice registered nurses – from fully doing their jobs.
Kansas ranks 40th in the nation for the number of physicians per 100,000 people. With the physician shortage hitting Kansas hard, nurse practitioners can help fill the gap, providing quality health care locally for patients.
“Nurse practitioners are a vital resource for patients and their family caregivers in our state,” says Glenda DuBoise, state director of AARP Kansas, which serves more than 290,000 members age 50 and older in Kansas. “It’s time to put patients first and let nurses do their jobs.”
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have master’s or doctoral level education that prepares them to provide advanced health care services, including primary and preventative care.
Across Kansas, more than 330,000 family caregivers, who help their older parents and spouses remain at home, count on the quality health care services provided by nurse practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses. Nurse practitioners help care for older Kansans in their homes and communities, keeping them out of costly, taxpayer-funded nursing homes.
Right now, Kansas’s outdated rules deny Kansans access to trained health care providers in their communities.
“While residents of many other states can take full advantage of the quality health care services provided by nurse practitioners, Kansans still lose out,” says DuBoise. “We are fighting to break down these barriers for family caregivers and their loved ones so more Kansans can have access to health care when and where they need it.”
The Kansas Senate is currently considering Senate Substitute House Bill 2279 which will modernize our state's outdated laws and will let nurse practitioners and other advance practice registered nurses do their jobs to the full extent of their training.
Email your state senator now. Tell them to support Senate Sub HB 2279.
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