Concord
Speaking before students and educators at Manchester Community College, which runs licensed nursing assistant and registered nurse programs, Sununu presented a plan to boost training for intermediate and advanced nursing certifications through the state’s community college and university systems.
The proposal, set to be included in the governor’s budget request if he’s re-elected, would use one-time expenditures to attempt to revive programs that have been dropped in recent years after flagging demand and resources. The plan would hope to kickstart licensed practical nurse, or LPN, programs in the community college system, create a nurse practitioner program at the University of New Hampshire, and increase class sizes and graduation rates for registered nurse programs.
The New Hampshire health care industry has been ravaged by nursing workforce shortages in recent years — chiefly in lower paying, lower certified positions — as graduates chase higher salary opportunities out of state. Nursing homes have faced particular challenges; with fewer resources and lower salaries, they’re increasingly passed over by students gravitating to better-paying hospital positions.
Presently, 1,309 openings exist for registered nurses, or RNs, across the state, according to the Department of Employment Security. The numbers suggest the demand is likely to persist: The state is estimated to have 1,169 open positions for LPNs annually through 2026, according to the department.
Under the governor’s proposal, schools would receive one-time funds to create the programs. Tuition would be expected to sustain the programs in later years. Some of the proposed funding would go to capital projects at UNH to build space for the new programs, the governor said. The plan also involves the creation of new computer science programs at Plymouth State University, he said.
“We’re focusing on our nurses, we’re focusing on advanced manufacturing — exactly what our needs are,” Sununu said. “Will we see the results tomorrow? No, we won’t. But two, three, five, 10 years down the road — this is what you have to plan for.”
A spokesman for Molly Kelly, Sununu’s Democratic challenger for governor, dismissed the announcement as “another election year promise” that likely would be dropped. And the spokesman, Chris Moyer, pointed to past efforts by Kelly to bring together stakeholders in the Monadnock region as a state senator to highlight her commitment.
“Education and training will be Molly’s top priority,” Moyer said. “She will work to expand opportunities not only for nurses but for all our young people who need education and training to get good jobs. Our businesses are counting on it.”
The requested funds are not a guarantee. If re-elected, Sununu will present a proposed budget to the Legislature in February, but the Legislature will carry out its own budget-writing process that may differ.
It is unclear what the state’s finances will look like when budget negotiations roll around next spring, but early indicators are rosy. So far this year, the state is running with a budget surplus of $44.9 million, largely driven by an increase in business tax revenue this year, according to a September snapshot from the Department of Administrative Services.
Sununu said his request would come from surplus funds and would be a key priority in the budget process.