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U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy recently addressed the nursing shortage during a congressional forum sponsored by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce in Warwick, R.I.

Rhode Island Hospital is among several facilities that have lobbied Kennedy to vote in favor of a bill that would raise the number of visas for overseas nurses who want to come to the U.S., according to The Providence Journal.

Kennedy says there are U.S. nursing positions available but not enough qualified candidates to fill them.

“It’s really ironic in this recession that we’re needing to import nurses from other countries,” he says.

Local school officials agree. Rhode Island College spokeswoman Jane Fusco says there is a need to expand nursing programs in the state. The school’s nursing program does not maintain a waiting list but does have more qualified students applying for the program than the school can accommodate.

Kennedy, along with The Rhode Island Center for Nursing Excellence, announced a new initiative that is leveraging local healthcare partners such as Lifespan and local schools to increase the local supply of nurses and nursing faculty, according to the Journal. Lifespan has pledged $40,000 over the next three years, according to director of media relations Linda Shelton.