Hospital administrators in Florida are asking for help from the state as they grapple with staffing strain during the latest COVID-19 wave, according to the News Service of Florida.
The administrators detailed the staffing strain, as well as the financial strain hospitals are facing, for state House committees Sept. 20.
Particular challenges they noted were nurses leaving nursing, or the bedside, and nurses leaving to take more lucrative travel nursing positions in other parts of the U.S.
"When those nurses leave to travel — and I do not begrudge them for that, they have student loans to pay off, they have bills to take care of and they look at this for an opportunity to take care of bills and student loans — when they travel, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on our ability to care for people," John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, told the House Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee, according to News Service. "In my opinion, that needs to stop. We need some help. It needs to be regulated in a state of emergency."
Neil Finkler, MD, chief clinical officer of AdventHealth Orlando, expressed similar sentiments and described current strategies, such as nurses taking on more patients, as unsustainable in the long term.
According to News Service, Dr. Finkler told lawmakers that collaboration between policymakers and healthcare professionals "is really crucial with regards to our ability to make sure that we have an adequate workforce moving forward. We need more students. We need more professors. We need more seats."
A survey released by the Florida Hospital Association Sept. 8 showed 74.7 percent of hospitals in the state expected a critical staffing shortage in the next seven days. The survey, completed Sept. 7, reflects responses from hospitals operating 84 percent of the state's acute care hospital beds.
Access the News Service report here.