State Funds Key in Nursing Shortage

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Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Mary Spilde

Our community faces a shortage of well-trained nurses, a problem thoroughly documented in a recent series in The Register-Guard. This is a challenge shared by the state and nation as our population grows and ages. All of us need and deserve high-quality nursing care. Lane Community College has been pursuing proactive strategies to address this challenge.

Lane is the only provider of associate degree nursing education in Lane County. A large majority of our graduates stay in Lane County to meet the local labor force demand. Our students are tremendously successful despite the rigors and expense of training or the limitations imposed on the college's insufficient public funding.

Our nursing graduates are among the nation's best, achieving …