Workforce

Healthcare lost 1.4 million jobs in April amid the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily in ambulatory healthcare services, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Physicians, nurses and other front-line hospital workers have undoubtedly faced significant challenges while caring for COVID-19 patients. But the pandemic has also taken a toll on nonmedical hospital workers, according to The New York Times. 

An executive at Allina Health, an 11-hospital system in Minneapolis, is warning that more workforce changes are imminent given the financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Star Tribune.

A total of 2,259 healthcare staff with the Department of Veterans Affairs had tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 1, according to VA data provided to Becker's Hospital Review.

As the U.S. continues to track the spread of COVID-19, some hospitals and health systems have announced COVID-19 antibody testing for employees.

University Hospitals in Cleveland said it will begin testing 10,000 front-line workers, employees and first responders for COVID-19 antibodies.

With the rapid curtailment of nonessential and non-acute services, and the redeployment of resources to meet anticipated COVID-19 peak demands, executives and managers are pressed even more heavily to meet the basics of quality, service, and the bottom line.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the traditional supply chain for fresh food as hotels, cruise ships and schools closed their doors and people began to practice social distancing. However, the closures didn't mean that fresh food wasn't needed.

Millions of healthcare workers with patient contact are at increased risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes due to age or chronic conditions, according to a study published April 28 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport, La., confirmed it placed employees on leave due to low patient volume and the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.