Section 128375.

(a)  The Legislature hereby finds and declares that an adequate supply of professional nurses is critical to assuring the health and well-being of the citizens of California, particularly those who live in medically underserved areas.

(b)  The Legislature further finds that changes in the health care system of this state have increased the need for more highly skilled nurses. These changes include advances in medical technology and pharmacology, that necessitate the use of more highly skilled nurses in acute care facilities. Further, the containment of health care costs has led to increased reliance on home health care and outpatient services and to a higher proportion of more acutely ill patients in acute care facilities. Long-term care facilities also need more highly educated nursing personnel. Both shifts require a larger number of skilled nursing personnel.

(c)  The Legislature further finds and declares that in nursing, as in other professions, certain populations are underrepresented. The Legislature also finds and declares that it is especially important that nursing care be provided in a way that is sensitive to the sociocultural variables that affect a person's health. The Legislature recognizes that the financial burden of obtaining a baccalaureate degree is considerable and that persons from families lacking adequate financial resources may need financial assistance to complete a baccalaureate degree.

(d)  The Legislature further finds and declares that approximately 54.1 percent of all Californians live in rural and urban areas that have been designated underserved. The shortage of professional nurses in these areas makes it more difficult for those citizens to obtain health care and more difficult to attract and retain other health care professionals to those areas.

(e)  The Legislature further finds and declares that since July 1, 1989, the Registered Nurse Education Fund has collected five million two hundred eight thousand five hundred seventy-four dollars ($5,208,574) to support the education of professional nurses and nursing students in California.

(f)  The Legislature further finds and declares that since 1990, the Health Professions Education Foundation has awarded over four million dollars ($4,000,000) in scholarship and loan repayment to 754 nursing students and nurses in California.

(g)  The Legislature further finds and declares that 107 award recipients are baccalaureate of science degree prepared nurses who have made a commitment to practice in medically underserved areas of California for a period of two years in exchange for loan repayment.

(h)  The Legislature further finds that 485 of the award recipients are baccalaureate of science degree nursing students. Since 1990, 199 nurses have completed their contractual obligation with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

(i)  The Legislature further finds and declares that, since 1994, 112 associate degree nursing scholarship awards have been made to students who have signed a contract with the office to complete a baccalaureate of science degree within five years of completing their associate degree. Six students have completed the articulations pilot program.

(j)  The Legislature further finds that recipients of the foundation's financial assistance program have come from very diverse backgrounds. Scholarships have been awarded to African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Pacific Islanders, Caucasians, Hispanic-Americans, and other individuals.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 135, Sec. 106. Effective January 1, 2001.)