‘It’s a crisis’: MN Hospital Association desperate for help amid staffing shortages and seasonal outbreaks
“We have the beds, we have the walls, we have the physical infrastructure, but a bed doesn’t treat the patient,” Koranne said. Staffing shortages are still a major problem. According to Koranne, some Minnesota hospitals have an up to 17 percent job vacancy rate, and applicants and retention numbers are also down. At the same time, lower capacity in group homes, mental health institutions, and nursing homes means hundreds of hospital patients needing such care have nowhere to be discharged. “And in some cases, patients are stuck and boarding and living in a hospital for months on end, which prevents other patients from getting into the hospital,” Koranne said. “It’s a crisis.”
