Sixty-three contract healthcare workers will join Western State Hospital in Staunton, Va., in coming weeks as a staffing shortage has forced the state-run facility to pause admissions.
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services contracted with global staffing agency GQR to help with the understaffing, according to the News Leader.
In mid-July, the department ordered five state-run psychiatric hospitals, including Western State Hospital, to halt admissions because of staffing and safety concerns. The department is bringing in contract workers for each of the five hospitals.