In the 1980s I was fortunate enough to receive a federal grant that made it possible for me to pursue a nursing graduate degree at OHSU. It forever changed my life for the better. I became a nurse practitioner and worked at Planned Parenthood and later at Portland Community College as a nursing program educator; I educated hundreds of students who are now taking care of people when they are in need.

We all have experienced the difference a good nurse makes in our care. To take away these federal loans and grants affects all of us in the future - not only the lives of nurses, but the health care outcomes of patients. Nurse practitioners are crucial in a system that needs professional health care providers. And who is going to educate the nurses for tomorrow if funding for graduate work i

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