Chris Mitchell, executive vice president, advocacy & public affairs, MHA, discussed staffing challenges impacting Michigan hospitals with FOX 17 Aug. 4.
The news segment focused on the CDC COVID-19 Reported Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity by State Timeseries, which reported five Michigan hospitals were experiencing critically low staffing. Mitchell discussed the stress and trauma healthcare workers experience while caring for COVID-19 patients and how that impact has led to burnout and healthcare workers leaving the hospital field. Mitchell also discussed steps hospitals have taken to address burnout and retain workers, while stressing the best way to help alleviate the pressure on hospital staff is to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
“What we’ve seen is early retirements…we’ve seen some healthcare workers leave the acute care setting and go to home health or other industries where they can use their talents and not feel the stress and strain of dealing with this pandemic,” said Mitchell. “Particularly in some of our smaller communities these folks are caring for their friends, their neighbors, and that has a profound impact on individuals.”