State Hospitals to Partner with Health Care Company to Improve Staffing

(Jefferson City) Thanksgiving has come and gone but the holiday season is just getting started. Missouri Governor Mike Parson praised Missourians for stepping up this Thanksgiving and limiting travel and large gatherings. Parson pointed to lower traffic levels and person accounts form people who modified their holiday plans. However, the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the state and hospitals are struggling to keep up, but the Governor says capacity is not the issue.

Parson says, the state is doing everything they can to mitigate the staffing problem. The state removed barriers to allow doctors to treat more patients through tele-health. They also made it possible, through various waivers, for hospitals to allow more personnel to care for more COVID-19 patients.

The Governor says another step is being taken to improve staffing in Missouri. The state and many of its hospitals are partnering up with health care performance improvement company Vizient to bring in more staff and increase hospital capacity. The plan allows for an additional 760 staff across the state. Parson explains the additions.

The plans lasts for 12 weeks, or until the end of February. The state’s plans to use CARES Act funds to pay for phase one of the project,  and the hospitals will pay for the remainder.

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