President and CEO Darlene Stromstad and Chief Physician Executive Kent Hall, MD, said the changes involve recruiting physicians, nurses and other healthcare specialists, such as respiratory therapists, who have retired recently or moved to nearby facilities.
Mohawk Valley also is encouraging some staff to stay home. Nonclinical staff is being asked to take vacation days, and some employees are being allowed to work from home, Ms. Stromstad told the Observer-Dispatch.
The system’s plan to have fewer workers on site is a response to “the governor’s dictate that nonessential workers stay home. And even in a healthcare environment, we do have nonessential workers who can stay home. So that’s one of the things we’re responding to,” Ms. Stromstad said.
The plan comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked hospitals to boost capacity by at least 50 percent to prepare for COVID-19 patients.
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