The U.S. housing crisis can lead to difficulties in retaining and recruiting healthcare professionals. UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo., is addressing the issue with investment in long-term employee housing.
Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth and Yampa Valley announced a $30 million initiative in October. Now, 29 of the 42 units in the Steamboat Springs housing development have been assigned to employees. Dec. 1 will mark the first of the move-ins, Mary Wirta, human resources manager at Yampa Valley Medical Center, told Becker's.
The units were allocated to employees based on a weighted lottery, with rent determined by the household's gross income, size and type of unit. Subsidies will also be provided to employees who meet income criteria.
The program has had a positive effect on retention and recruitment, Ms. Wirta said. Some individuals have reached out for information before applying to open roles, and turnover has decreased to its lowest level in approximately 18 months, she added.
Some of the hospital's smaller departments that have struggled to maintain staffing, such as clinical engineering and respiratory therapy, have stabilized their levels after the program's launch, Ms. Wirta said.
Additionally, some employees who left the hospital because of housing costs and availability have reached back out after the program was launched.
Program participants come from every corner of the hospital, including from departments such as radiology, laboratory, nursing, food nutrition services, surgical services, urgent care facilities and pharmacy, she said.
Aside from retention and recruitment, the goal was to improve the accessibility and affordability of housing.
"While we're most certainly not going to solve the housing crisis in Steamboat Springs, we want to make it a bit easier for our employees," Ms. Wirta said. "Our goal is to leverage the availability side of things while also working to support individuals through the affordability factors."
In addition to factors such as unit size, rent is determined by fair market values and other thresholds from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. One of the goals is to ensure participants are spending less than 30% of their income on housing, which has been a marker for affordability, Ms. Wirta said.
A commitment to employees is necessary in seeing the program through, she said.
"We're very fortunate that we've had the support of our system in this. We couldn't do it without the entirety of UCHealth to make it happen," Ms. Wirta said. "But it's that commitment and really looking at the long term and the big picture of where we can make an impact that is important."