Letter Template #1- for facilities ***Due to congressional mail screening procedures, please send your letter via email in order to ensure prompt delivery to the congressional office.*** Email addresses click here Dear [member of Congress]: I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the Emergency Nurse Supply Relief Act (H.R. 2536), bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). The nation’s severe nursing shortage, now in its ninth year, challenges hospitals’ and long term care facilities’ ability to operate at full capacity to care for their communities. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 2.8 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2020 to address the country’s severe nursing shortage. Due to the ongoing visa retrogression, [insert healthcare facility] is currently unable to place qualified and experienced foreign-educated nurses, and this legislation seeks to address the problem. For years, hospitals and long term care facilities have augmented their nursing staffs with competent, well-trained, U.S.-certified international nurses. Current visa caps, however, have reduced the number of immigrant nurses over the past several years. With the national nursing shortage expected to intensify in the coming years, the Emergency Nurse Supply Relief Act provides both short-term and long-term solutions to the problem. This legislation is specifically targeted to address the critical nursing shortage by allowing qualified immigrant nurses to quickly fill vacancies in our nation’s health care system, while also enhancing the training and retention of U.S.-educated nurses. The legislation would provide up to 20,000 visas per year over a three year period for nurses and physical therapists, allowing healthcare providers to begin filling vacancies within three months of the enactment of the legislation. More importantly, however, the legislation would require sponsoring employers of registered nurses to pay an additional $1500 fee per visa, which would be used to fund sorely needed capitation grants to U.S. nursing schools. While a comprehensive, long-term solution is the obvious goal, the reality is that the nursing shortage is compromising patient safety now, and immediate action is needed to ensure that health care providers are able to adequately staff their facilities. Thank you for your consideration.