The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

1. (a) The Health Manpower Pilot Project No. 152 was approved in 1988 to respond to a shortage of adequately trained personnel to meet the needs of residents in long-term health care facilities.
2. (b) Long-term health care facilities continue to report difficulties recruiting and retaining adequate nursing staff to meet current needs.
3. (c) The population most in need of long-term care is growing rapidly. It is estimated by the year 2000, one-third of the entire population in the United States will be composed of persons over 65 years of age. Three-fourths of all residents of long-term health care facilities will be generated by this age group.
4. (d) A 30-percent decrease in the labor pool of health workers has been projected for the same time period. This decline in resources will exacerbate the problem of acquiring adequate nursing resources.
5. (e) The establishment of the geriatric technician as a new category of health worker may have the potential to increase the retention of experienced workers in long-term health care by creating health career opportunities and upward mobility for certified nurse assistants.
6. (f) The use of geriatric technicians is not intended to displace licensed nurses, but rather to augment the level of available trained staff to optimize the quality of long-term health care.