Three out of 4 Florida hospitals, or 75.6 percent, expect a critical staffing shortage in the next seven days, according to survey results released Aug. 17 by the Florida Hospital Association.
The association conducts the survey twice weekly. The latest survey, conducted Aug. 16, reflects responses from hospitals representing 83 percent of the state's acute care hospital beds.
For comparison, the association's survey conducted Aug. 12, reflecting responses from hospitals representing 82 percent of Florida's acute care hospital beds, found 66.9 percent of hospitals expecting a critical staffing shortage.
"There can be no question that many Florida hospitals are stretched to their absolute limits," said Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said in a news release. "While hospitalizations continue to increase, 3 out of 4 Florida hospitals expect to face critical staff shortages in the next seven days, an increase of nearly 10 percent since last week, and half of our hospitals will no longer accept transfer patients from other facilities."
This strain comes as Florida's COVID-19 hospitalization rate reached 74 per 100,000 residents Aug. 17. State hospitalizations per 100,000 are up 53 percent in the last 14 days.