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Local hospitals continue patient care despite worker shortage

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(WSIL) -- Hospitals around the country are struggling with worker shortages, and News 3 asked local hospitals what their current situation is and what they're doing to solve the issues they face.

News 3 sat down with Jeanette Dudley, a nurse recruiter for Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, and got her thoughts on why hospitals cannot fill their positions.聽

"There's been a burnout in the last year," Dudley claimed, and when asked on how hospitals can fight that burnout, she said聽"We're getting creative with special hours, being flexible on shifts... typically in nursing you work 12 hour shifts and we're looking at implementing some shorter, more family-friendly shifts."

The worker shortage crisis is not just limited to nurses, as Southeast Hospital's Human Resources Business Director Rachel Gowen claims. The shortage also applies to other departments of hospitals as well.聽

"We really need food service workers and house keepers to help us feed the patients and the employees," Gowen explained.

Southeast Hospital isn't the only hospital changing their infrastructure to make nursing positions more appealing, Union County Hospital in Anna is also adding benefits to their employment offers.

In a statement Union County Hospital stated, "As part of our aggressive recruitment strategies, we offer scholarships to students who want to get into healthcare, employee referral bonuses in the thousands and award sign-on bonuses for new hires."

The hospital also noted that they currently have 15 openings, six of which are nursing positions.

While these hospitals are putting all their effort into bringing in qualified candidates, they still are committed to giving excellent care to their patients with the staff they do have.聽

Kaitlyn Smith, a Talent Partner with St. Francis Cape Girardeau, is confident in her hospital's ability to give quality care.

She states,聽"With what staff we have, we're still moving on with the procedures, conducting the procedures and giving the best care that we can."

Here is the full statement from Union County Hospital:

"It is important to understand that the lack of healthcare providers, particularly physicians and nurses, has existed for years. Hospitals across the country continue to manage the ongoing staffing challenges caused by the pandemic and shortages that existed even before COVID-19. Burnout and travel agencies offering higher rates have also increased staffing challenges nationwide. Hospitals across the country have faced this challenge; it is not unique to our region or state.

We continue to leverage all resources possible to address the national staffing shortage. Currently, we have 15 open positions, six of those being nursing positions. We remain focused on recruitment and retention efforts. As part of our aggressive recruitment strategies, we offer scholarships to students who want to get into healthcare, employee referral bonuses in the thousands and award sign-on bonuses for new hires. We are privileged to care for our community and will continue to provide safe, high-quality care for our patients."

Here is the full statement from Baptist Health Paducah:

"We are grateful to our staff and providers for their steadfast commitment to go above and beyond in caring for all of our patients, especially in these challenging times. Because of their dedication, Baptist Health remains confident in our ability to care for our communities. Even before the pandemic began, there was a national shortage of healthcare workers. Caring for COVID patients has stretched our frontline staff thin, with physical and mental exhaustion taking its toll. Just as we have surge plans to expand our hospitals鈥� capacity if needed, we implemented staffing guidelines outlined by CMS to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. Baptist Health Paducah continues to work hard to attract and recruit skilled healthcare professionals to our community." -听Matt Bailey, Interim President of Baptist Health Paducah