Nursing Home Operators Say Virus Brings “Significant Staffing Challenges”

August 13, 2021

Nursing home operators tell NBC 6 it is harder to find enough staff to consistently meet state standards as the coronavirus pandemic drives up the cost for healthcare workers. This comes as South Florida hospitals report they’re raising nurse-to-patient ratios and bringing in travel nurses to fill gaps. 

In short, there’s a huge demand for healthcare workers and not enough supply. Friday brought another record day of hospitalizations as the delta variant and the unvaccinated drive an increase in cases. 

Nursing homes are required to have workers care for residents at least 2.5 hours a day as part of their minimum standard of care. If they don’t, they could get fined by the state.

Read the full story from NBC Miami here.