Here are five things to know.
1. Overall, the state is projected to see its shortage of healthcare workers grow. The Portland Press Herald specifically cites a Maine Department of Labor report estimating the state will need at least 3,700 more ambulatory healthcare services workers; 2,300 more hospital workers; and 1,900 more nursing and residential care facility workers by 2024. The publication also cites a report from Brewer-based Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems that showed the state had a shortage of 600 licensed nurses in 2015, and predicted that shortage will be 3,200 by 2025.
2. The Portland Press Herald reports Maine medical institutions are losing millions of dollars in overtime and temporary worker pay as a result of the shortage.
3. The report cites multiple examples, including the Barron Center in Portland, Maine, which saw overtime spending increase from $780,000 to $1.1 million over the course of three years.
4. Additionally, a representative from Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, Maine, told The Portland Press Herald sometimes patients have to go to another healthcare facility due to the staff shortage there.
5. One short-term solution used by Mercy Hospital and Maine Medical Center, both in Portland, is temporary traveling nurses from outside the state, according to the report. Additionally, Judith West, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Maine Med, told the publication Portland-based MaineHealth, Maine Med’s parent organization, is making efforts to partner with other local organizations that recruit workers from outside of Maine.
Read the full report, including more about how Maine healthcare facilities are responding to the worker shortage, here.
More articles on human capital and risk:
Brigham and Women’s to pay up to $90M in 1.2k voluntary retirement offers to avoid layoffs
Munson Medical Center nurses will unionize after challenged ballots settled
Tufts nurses to resume negotiations following July strike
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
