Durbin Joins Illinois Wesleyan University For Roundtable Discussion On Health Care Workforce Shortage

Durbin Joins Illinois Wesleyan University For Roundtable Discussion On Health Care Workforce Shortage

In FY26, Durbin secured a $1 million earmark for IWU's Nursing and Health Science Innovation Program, funding upgrades to lab equipment, simulators, and curriculum development for nursing students

BLOOMINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined students and faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) School of Nursing and Health Sciences for a roundtable discussion on educating health care professionals to address the troubling health care workforce shortage. During the event, Durbin learned about IWU's Nursing and Health Sciences Innovation Program, which is supported by a $1 million earmark Durbin secured for the program in the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding bill. The program aims to enhance student success through technology upgrades, facility improvements, and academic support initiatives that include advanced simulations and hands-on training.

"Our health care professionals, especially our nurses, are on the front lines, providing critical care to patients. But they don't have access to the resources they need to succeed. I've made it a priority to work alongside institutions, including Illinois Wesleyan University, to secure federal funding that can support stellar programs like the Innovation Program," Durbin said. "This funding will help graduate more highly trained nurses to serve our entire region, making a difference in the lives of thousands of people."

"It's an honor to have Senator Durbin visit campus to speak with our students," said IWU President Sheahon Zenger. "We truly appreciate the $1 million in funding that he secured for Illinois Wesleyan, which allows us to improve classroom technology and continue preparing nursing students and health professionals who will contribute meaningfully to the health of our communities."

Photos of the event are available here.

Nearly 100 million Americans live in communities with too few doctors. The U.S. is estimated to need 450,000 nurses over the next two years, and the country is projected to face a shortage of 120,000 physicians over the next decade. One of the biggest barriers to pursuing graduate education for health care providers is the high cost, which can leave new doctors with an average debt of more than $200,000.

To address the health care workforce shortage, Durbin has worked across the aisle to introduce legislation that would bring more health care professionals to rural areas, support health care educators, and build up the health care workforce. In March, Durbin reintroduced the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act, legislation that would incentivize more health professionals to serve and plant roots in rural communities by creating a new program under the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to test whether an increased loan repayment amount would improve the retention of health providers in rural areas.

In January, Durbin reintroduced the bipartisan Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act to address the critical nursing faculty shortage by creating a pilot grant program to help nursing schools increase wages for nurse educators. In 2025, Durbin introduced the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, which would allow for the recapture of 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that Congress has previously authorized-providing a desperately needed boost to our health care system in rural and urban areas.

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