State reactivates Staffing Shortage Fusion Center
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The Colorado Unified Coordination Center (UCC) announced the reactivation of the Staffing Shortage Fusion Center. Now, organizations can ask for assistance for COVID-related staff shortages.
The fusion center only accepts staffing requests for assistance in which staff shortages are affecting patient care.
Organizations that can ask for assistance include residential care facilities, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other licensed care settings.
Scott Bookman, the Director of the Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response for the state, says this will help alleviate the stress on overworked health care workers.
"They are tired, they are burnt out," Bookman told KRDO. "People are leaving the profession, because of the impact of this pandemic on their work environment."
Bookman believes the reactivation of the fusion center is related to the labor shortage and not in anticipation of a loss of workers due to vaccine mandates.
"The vaccine mandate will ultimately reduce those staffing shortages because healthcare providers won't be getting COVID and won't be out sick," said Bookman.
However, Dr. Sandeep Vijan, the Chief Quality Officer at Parkview Health System, expects losing workers to the hospital system's vaccine mandate will have a staffage impact.
"If it's an ICU nurse, that means it's two patients that can't get that critical care," Dr. Vijan said. "On the floor, that could be three or four patients who can't get that care."
The fusion center will be staffed by traveling nurses and members of the Colorado National Guard.
"Our goal here is really to ensure that to the best of our ability, the state is providing support to these facilities," Bookman said.
The fusion center was originally activated from November 2020 to March 2021 to support staffing shortages. During that time, 4,850 shifts were filled, with 160 supplemental staff in 58 facilities statewide.
Between April 1 and September 30, CDPHE has provided staffing resources for residential care facilities by filling 994 shifts in 31 unique facilities.
