JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The pay for travel nurses has increased, but Mississippi hospitals are still facing staffing shortages.
A recent survey by the Mississippi Hospital Association (MHA) indicated there are nearly 3,000 nursing vacancies in the state in the past year alone.
MHA Chief Operating Officer Kim Hoover urged legislators to raise hospital staffing shortages to top priority. She believes there is a sense of complacency amid the constant strain on hospitals.
“If there’s no one there to empty the trash, no one to pass out meals, and no one to do respiratory therapy, then the nurses are called on to do those things. They just don’t have the staff to do the kinds of things they need to be doing,” said Hoover.
She added that she’d like to see hospital nursing leaders at the table when talking about solutions.