ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico didn’t have enough nurses even before the pandemic and nursing advocates renewed their push Thursday for lawmakers to boost funding to increase capacity at nursing schools around the state to remedy a situation made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

Legislative analysts have estimated that New Mexico needs more than 6,200 nurses to meet demand.

Budget proposals by the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham include $15 million for the state Department of Higher Education to help nursing programs hire additional faculty, pay for student stipends and fund other efforts aimed at expanding nursing school programs.

Supporters have estimated that the additional funding could increase the number of nursing students by about 1,500 a year.

Read more at the link: Las Cruces Sun-News