Accredited nursing schools and health care facilities can apply through June 7 for up to $350,000 a year in funding to increase veterans’ enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, and explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training, the Health Resources and Services administration announced today. The agency expects to award up to nine four-year cooperative agreements. The funding was announced at a White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing.
Category: Health/Medical
Summary of President’s FY14 Budget Request
Yesterday, President Obama released his FY14 budget request — nearly two months later than required by law. Much of the delay was blamed on the sequester and the prolonged FY13 appropriations process that resulted in a year-long continuing resolution (CR). In a typical year, the President’s Budget Request (PBR) kicks off the annual appropriations season, but with the delays, Congress has moved forward with their own budget proposals. This leaves us with three very different budget proposals with which to base the annual appropriations process. In other words, the process is once again sure to be a mess come later this fall. Our April Federal Update reviews the PBR and highlights those agencies and programs that we care about the most. You can also access the PBR and all the supporting documents at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget.
Sequestration Threatens Research Careers
John Slattery, Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Washington, speaks about how federal funding cuts (sequestration) will constrain potential advances in patient care and dampen students’ pursuit of research careers. Watch the video here.
NIH Prepares for Sequestration Implementation
As mentioned in our blog post yesterday, NIH Director Francis Collins announced that NIH IC directors will develop their own plans for how to apply sequestration cuts to their institutes and centers. This was followed by NIH’s official notice posted yesterday that due to sequestration, NIH likely will reduce funding levels of non-competing continuation grants, make fewer competing awards, and for continuation awards that have already been made, may not be able to reach the full FY 2013 commitment level described in Notice of Award. Confirming Collins’ announcement, it also states that if sequestration occurs, NIH ICs will announce their individual plans to meet new budget levels. Read the full NIH notice here.
The anticipated cuts are already being seen: PIs are receiving awards sharply reduced from committed levels, forcing universities to make up the difference or find cuts, including letting go lab staff. The sequester is scheduled to take effect just a week from today.
McDermott Legislation Aims to Protect NIH from Sequestration
Yesterday, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced a bill to protect National Institutes of Health (NIH) from impending automatic federal budget cuts. The automatic budget cuts, or “sequester,” will cancel $85 billion in federal spending between March 1 and September 30, including roughly $2 billion from the NIH budget. McDermott’s bill would ensure that NIH’s budget is protected for the balance of this fiscal year.
McDermott’s press release goes on to say that Seattle’s economy relies on federal funding for biomedical research, and that Washington State’s third largest employer, the University of Washington, receives more federal funding than any other public university in the nation.
We applaud Mr. McDermott for his efforts to protect NIH from devastating cuts.