Cripple Creek Care Center closure highlights larger issue across the state
CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (KRDO) -- Cripple Creek Care Center closed Wednesday due to a staffing shortage, but it's not the only nursing home in the state that might be facing a shutdown.
The Colorado Health Care Association said they are worried at least 20 nursing homes across the state will have a hard time keeping their doors open due to low occupancy.
Low occupancy means generally less money in the facility which means less money to pay staff. Then, the vicious cycle begins as a lack of staffing means they can't take on any new residents to up their occupancy levels.
Right now, it would take 5,000 new nurses to get Colorado back to their pre-pandemic levels of staffing.
“We have a legitimate staffing crisis in long-term care," President and CEO of the Colorado Health Care Association, Doug Farmer said.
Farmer said much of the solution lies in more state funding. Money that would go towards scholarships for nurses in school and more nursing programs in general. He said there's also a need for more assistance in childcare for working nurses.
Farmer emphasized the only way to change the problem on a larger scale is through state legislation. He said the state needs to get more nurses trained and working in facilities so they have the capacity to take on new residents from the aging population. “It’s desperate right now but it’s only getting worse by the week."
At the Cripple Creek Care Center, they tried for years to aggressively recruit new staff, but couldn't keep up with the demand. They blame factors like the pandemic and their rural location for the difficulty hiring.
