Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital has about 200 employees out in Madison County due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, local TV station WAAY reports.
The 971-bed hospital — a regional referral center for North Alabama and Southern Tennessee — told the TV station employees are out because they have COVID-19, were exposed to the illness or are waiting for test results.
To fill staffing needs, the hospital is trying to recruit and train workers and returning some nurses to clinical roles who primarily train others, CEO David Spillers said.
He told WAAY: "Physical beds are not an issue. Supplies are not an issue. Staffing continues to concern me. Having 200 people out in Madison County is a substantial number of people not to have when you have this many patients you are taking care of."
As of July 7, Huntsville Hospital had more than 70 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including 63 at its main hospital in Huntsville and nine in Madison, Ala., according to AL.com. The hospital has suspended elective surgeries that require overnight stays to free up capacity and staff.
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