New York State Department of Health holds first statewide summit to address nursing workforce challenges

Albany, New York – In a significant move to address the growing shortage of nurses across the state, the New York State Department of Health held its first-ever statewide Nursing Workforce Summit on June 9, 2025. The one-day event, hosted in Albany, brought together a wide array of nursing professionals, researchers, educators, and policy experts to confront the challenges facing the nursing profession and to explore solutions that could help build a stronger, more resilient workforce.

The summit, the first of its kind organized by the Department of Health, focused on sharing ideas, strategies, and resources to overcome the persistent issues affecting the nursing pipeline. Discussions were organized around key themes, including education and training, employment and retention, first-hand experiences from the field, and opportunities for collaboration moving forward.

“This is the first event of its kind created by and for nurses, providing us an important opportunity to hear directly from those on the front lines about the challenges nurses face and solutions they’ve implemented,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “The goal of this summit is to strengthen communication and collaboration, which will lead to sustainable solutions for the future.”

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The summit arrives at a critical time. Although New York is home to nearly 415,000 licensed registered nurses (RNs), only about 63 percent of them are actively working in the state. Of those, less than half—approximately 49 percent—are working in direct patient care. That gap between license and practice reflects a pressing need to not only train more nurses, but to support and retain those who are already in the field.

Behind these numbers is a deeper crisis rooted in burnout, workplace stress, and high turnover—especially in acute care settings. Jean Moore, Director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies, emphasized the urgency of the issue. “An analysis completed by the Center for Health Workforce Studies found that patient care RNs, particularly those working in acute care, report high levels of burnout which contributes to turnover and ultimately a decline in the supply of patient care RNs,” Moore explained. “The Nursing Summit convened by the Department of Health provided a unique opportunity for a diverse group of stakeholders to learn from each other, sharing effective strategies to recruit and retain RNs.”

Building on recent investments in healthcare education and workforce development, the summit served as a platform to amplify voices from all corners of the nursing landscape—from academic institutions and labor organizations to health systems and independent practitioners.

Dr. Carrie Roseamelia, Director of the Department’s Workforce Innovation Center, spoke about the momentum leading up to the summit. “As Director of Workforce Innovation, I’ve been energized by the rich and thoughtful discussions I’ve had with nursing leaders across the state in preparation for this summit. These conversations have reinforced my belief that bringing together diverse voices from across New York’s nursing community is essential to building sustainable workforce solutions.”

Among the most vocal supporters of the summit’s mission was Pat Bruckenthal, Dean and Professor at Stony Brook University School of Nursing. “The New York State Department of Health’s decision to convene a Stakeholder Summit on nursing workforce issues is a critical step toward addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing our healthcare system, the growing shortage of nurses,” Bruckenthal said. “This Summit provides a forum to bring together the collaborative voices of healthcare providers, academic institutions, labor organizations, and policy leaders, to strategize on long term solutions to build a resilient nursing workforce that will ensure high quality, equitable health care for all New Yorkers.”

Another voice that echoed the importance of unity and shared vision was Deborah C. Stamps, founder and CEO of Deborah Stamps Consulting, LLC. “The Nursing Workforce Stakeholder Summit was a powerful reminder that sustainable change requires collective action. By bringing together diverse voices from across the state, we’ve taken a meaningful step toward building a stronger, more inclusive, and future-ready nursing workforce for all New Yorkers.”

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The summit was not only about discussion—it was about action. New York State has already taken multiple steps to address nursing shortages through targeted initiatives. In May, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of nursing simulation centers on three State University of New York (SUNY) campuses: University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, and Stony Brook University. The $62 million initiative aims to enhance simulation-based education, allowing nursing students to practice and learn in realistic clinical environments before entering the workforce.

Additional investments include the NYS Healthcare Workers for Our Future Scholarship program, launched last year. The scholarship provides two-year, full-ride financial support to about 500 students pursuing nursing degrees, helping to ease the burden of tuition and encourage more young people to enter the field.

Meanwhile, the New York State Nurses Across New York (NANY) Loan Repayment Program continues to provide incentives for RNs and LPNs to work in underserved areas of the state, offering meaningful financial support in exchange for service in critical roles.

One of the more popular initiatives among current nurses has been the Health Care Worker Bonus Program. Since 2022, New York State has paid more than $2 billion in bonuses to over 800,000 healthcare workers, including thousands of nurses. The bonuses, which can be as high as $3,000 per eligible worker, are meant to recognize the critical role healthcare workers play in maintaining public health.

Despite these advancements, the summit made clear that much more needs to be done to stabilize the nursing workforce and make the profession more sustainable for the future. Participants discussed challenges related to mentorship, workplace safety, professional development, and mental health support—all of which affect whether nurses choose to stay in their roles or leave for other career paths.

The event concluded with a call to continue building on this momentum and fostering open lines of communication between government agencies, health systems, educational institutions, and individual nurses. The Department of Health emphasized its commitment to ongoing collaboration as new challenges and opportunities emerge.

As New York looks to the future, the summit marks a defining moment in how the state approaches one of the most urgent issues in healthcare today. While solutions may not be immediate, the willingness to listen, collaborate, and invest lays the groundwork for a more stable and supported nursing workforce—one that can meet the needs of patients, communities, and the state’s healthcare system for years to come.