Kentucky’s Governor has signed an executive order declaring the state’s nursing shortage in the midst of a deadly pandemic an emergency. WUKY’s Karyn Czar reports.
Gov. Andy Beshear took executive actions Thursday aimed at boosting enrollment in nurse-training programs. He says Kentucky is projected to need more than 16,000 additional nurses by 2024. His executive order requires the state Board of Nursing to approve requests for enrollment increases from schools that have the resources to accommodate more students. Kentucky's nurse shortage reflects a national epidemic created by the pandemic. Health leaders say nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies.