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SD 1598

An Act establishing a nursing workforce center

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Jo Comerford and 1 co-sponsor

Establishes a Nursing Workforce Center at UMass Medical School to collect data, study needs, and advise policy to recruit, retain, and advance nursing across Massachusetts.

House concurred
0
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Bill Summary · SD 1598

Summary: SD 1598 — An Act Establishing a Nursing Workforce Center

Overview

  • Bill Number: SD 1598
  • Title: An Act establishing a nursing workforce center
  • Status: House concurred
  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Classification: Proposed bill
  • Origin: Massachusetts General Court (Senate Docket No. 1598; accompanying House petition)

Purpose and Intent

The bill creates a Nursing Workforce Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. Its purpose is to gather data, conduct research, and provide analysis to advise policy leaders on current and future nursing workforce needs and to advance nursing science and practice across the Commonwealth. The center is intended to serve as a hub for data-driven policy recommendations and to support strategies that strengthen the nursing workforce and the broader nursing pipeline.

Key Provisions

Establishment and Administration

  • Creates a Nursing Workforce Center at UMass Medical School in Worcester.
  • An executive director, appointed by the dean of UMass Medical School, will administer the center.
  • The center will operate under the direction and oversight of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

Core Activities (center functions)

  1. Convene a diverse group of stakeholders (nurses, health care providers, business/industry leaders, consumers, state agencies, legislators, educators) to coordinate on nursing workforce issues.
  2. Conduct research on best practices and how they impact patient outcomes.
  3. Prepare and disseminate reports and recommendations on current and future nursing workforce status and trends.
  4. Research, analyze, and report data related to recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce.
  5. Develop and implement strategies to recruit and retain nurses in the Commonwealth.
  6. Recommend systemic changes to the nursing workforce pipeline.
  7. Foster collaboration within the health care community to build policy consensus, promote diversity, and enhance nursing knowledge and practice.
  8. Promote nursing excellence through recognition programs, incentives for professional growth, and activities that raise the profession’s visibility and public perception.
  9. Provide consultation and information related to nursing resources locally and beyond, and serve as a clearinghouse for nursing practice and workforce data.
  10. Address other matters deemed appropriate by EOHHS.

Reporting and Transparency

  • Annually, the center must submit a report summarizing activities and policy recommendations to:
    • Secretary of Health and Human Services
    • Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means
    • Chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Health
    • Chairs of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing
    • Chairs of the Joint Committee on Higher Education
  • The annual report must be publicly available on the center’s website.

Implementation Timeline

  • The first center report is required not later than one year after the act’s effective date.

Governance and Oversight

  • The center is administered by an executive director appointed by the UMass Medical School dean.
  • Oversight and direction come from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, ensuring alignment with state health policy priorities.

Impact and Beneficiaries

  • Primary beneficiaries: nursing professionals, nursing students, health care facilities, and patients across Massachusetts, with broader healthcare workforce benefits.
  • Expected outcomes include improved data-driven policymaking, enhanced recruitment/retention strategies, stronger collaboration across stakeholders, increased diversity in the nursing workforce, and greater visibility and recognition of nursing excellence.

Fiscal and Procedural Notes

  • The bill text does not specify funding or appropriation details.
  • After passage, the act would insert new Section 36F into Chapter 75 of the General Laws to establish the center.
  • The bill is a proposed measure that has been concurred by the House (status noted as House concurred) and would proceed through the standard legislative process.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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