GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — COVID cases continue to rage throughout the state.
“Ninety-seven percent of intensive care beds and 98 percent of immediate care beds are currently in use,” Wisconsin DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases Director Traci DeSalvo said.
“All of healthcare is experiencing staffing shortages,” Bellin Health Incident Command Adaptable Workforce Branch Lead Anne Hale said.
The state helped recruit 567 temporary workers to help out in healthcare facilities across the state during the current surge.
Some were sent to Bellin Health in Green Bay.
“We’ve secured 16 travelers from the department of health. We have 7 RNs and nine nursing assistants. They’re here for 12 weeks,” Hale said.
Gov. Tony Evers said in a news release, “It is essential that our hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living providers have the staff needed to provide critical care to folks across our state….But I also want to be clear: our hospitals and health care systems are still under tremendous pressure, and they need every Wisconsinite to do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Anne Hale with Bellin Health says the state picks up 60 percent of the cost of the temporary workers, while Bellin picks up the other 40 percent.
The costs the state is responsible for is partially funded by American Rescue Plan dollars.
Hale says the health system’s current employee vacancy rate is about 11 percent.
“They are really helping us to staff as we are onboarding more and more people and hiring more people so when they come in, it gives us extra time to do our additional hiring,” Hale said.
Bellin says the temporary workers will stay until February or March
