Public Health Nursing Act

More public health nurses in underserved areas

This bill would create a Public Health Nursing Workforce Grant Program. The Secretary would make grants to state, local, and territorial health departments. Grants would pay wages and benefits to recruit, hire, and train licensed registered nurses to serve as public health nurses, and would pay for medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and administrative costs. Recipients could subgrant to local health departments. The Secretary would give priority to applicants serving areas with high chronic disease, high infant or maternal mortality, low-income or medically underserved populations, health professional shortage areas, maternity care target areas, and rural or traditionally underserved communities. The Secretary would also prioritize applicants that plan culturally and linguistically appropriate services and that protect workers' Section 7 rights. Grant recipients would have to keep non‑Federal spending on these activities at or above the level they maintained in the fiscal year before receiving a grant. The bill would authorize $5 billion each year for fiscal years 2026 through 2035.