2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 77
BY SENATOR BISHOP AND REPRESENTATIVE BOUIE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, the Southern University School
of Nursing, and Southern University at New Orleans to collaborate on the process
and procedures required for the establishment of a nursing education program on the
campus of Southern University at New Orleans.
WHEREAS, there is a nationwide shortage of nurses that is estimated to reach over
one million new nurses needed to support the workforce by 2024; and
WHEREAS, it is crucial to have a strong nursing workforce because, among other
things, the number of nurses available to work in the market directly correlates to the number
of hospital beds opened and made available to patients; and
WHEREAS, Southeast Louisiana residents have access to hundreds of specialists and
more than forty area hospitals located between the Northshore and New Orleans, many of
which are considered the best in the United States; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that Louisiana colleges and universities continue to
educate and graduate nurses to meet the demands of the market; and
WHEREAS, the Southern University School of Nursing in Baton Rouge (SUSON)
was approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing in 1985 and has attained accreditation
by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; and
WHEREAS, since 1988, SUSON has been recognized nationally for its success with
minority students, having graduated more than two thousand nurses with a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN), an educational attainment that positions nurses for more
responsibility, supervisory roles, and higher salaries; and
WHEREAS, Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) was established in 1956
and today has a student population in excess of two thousand students; and
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WHEREAS, SUNO is uniquely positioned to offer a nursing program that would
allow students to train in and graduate into the medical hub of New Orleans, providing a
robust array of job opportunities and ensuring that patients have continued access to care;
and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing has been statutorily vested with
the authority to approve schools of nursing; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that Louisiana State Board of Nursing, the Southern
University School of Nursing, and Southern University at New Orleans collaborate on the
process and procedures required for the establishment of a nursing education program on the
campus of Southern University at New Orleans.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request Louisiana State Board of Nursing, Southern University School of Nursing,
and Southern University at New Orleans collaborate on the process and procedures required
for the establishment of a nursing education program on the campus of Southern University
at New Orleans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, the dean of the Southern
University School of Nursing, and the chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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