Retention successes don’t answer for health care staffing amid Idaho’s growth
May 08, 2024 | 6:15 am ET
Description
Minidoka Memorial Hospital is the joint operation of Minidoka County’s only hospital and nursing home located in Rupert, Idaho. Services offered at Minidoka Memorial Hospital include surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatments, long-term care, home health, ambulance and occupational health. The hospital employs over 250 people, making it one of the county’s larger employers. (Courtesy of Minidoka Memorial Hospital)
As we reach four years since the start of the pandemic, I look at our hospital staff and am proud that — unlike many of our fellow hospital systems — we’ve been able to retain the majority of our talented team members. We were able to weather the storm by prioritizing our most valuable asset: our people.
We’re often asked how we did it — and I always admit it wasn’t rocket science. Simply put, we chose a path of unwavering support for our employees. While many health systems had to cut salaries to reduce costs, we made a conscious decision to recognize and celebrate the vital role each member played. Not only did we keep salaries where they were, we provided $8,000 in bonuses for each employee — regardless of their role — to demonstrate our profound appreciation for our frontline heroes.
A healthy, resilient Idaho requires investments in our health care workforce
But no amount of retention can address Idaho’s growth and increased need for providers. It’s time that Idaho thinks seriously about the health care workforce crisis that’s still affecting our state. We’ve reached dire levels of staffing challenges despite years of warnings and proactive recommendations.
Efforts to address the workforce shortage have been stymied by a lack of political will and foresight. Initiatives like Idaho LAUNCH have successfully stimulated interest from students, but there are not nearly enough seats within Idaho universities or local residencies to keep growing our health care workforce as we need. In terms of supply and demand — we’ve treated the demand, but our supply side remains woefully neglected. Recommendations to allocate incremental funds for universities to bolster the output of vital health care professionals have fallen on deaf ears, leaving hospitals like ours struggling to fill vital open positions.
We’re already feeling the effects of this negligence. Our hospital has seen essential positions in respiratory therapy, lab technology and nursing lie vacant for months on end. It’s common to see competitive job listings open for six months to a year without a single application. A challenge especially hard for rural hospitals like ours. We have had to limit admissions in our nursing home due to staffing levels, and other departments have had to work staff overtime, or have shifts covered with on-call staff instead of regularly scheduled staff. While these solutions are holding us over for the time being, this is not a sustainable situation long term.
If you’re wondering why someone in a big city across the state should care about health care staffing in rural communities — it’s because it affects us all. The pandemic was the first time in my career when we had helicopters bringing us patients from Pocatello, Twin Falls and Boise. Everyone had to collaborate to provide the necessary space and quality care our patients deserve. Within our health care ecosystem, everything is interconnected.
The time for rhetoric and half-measures has passed. Idaho’s health care workforce crisis demands urgent and decisive action. Investments in education and training programs must be prioritized to bolster the pipeline of health care professionals, ensuring that future generations have access to the care they need.
My concern for the future of health care in Idaho extends beyond my hospital walls. It’s a question of the very viability of Idaho as a safe and prosperous place for our families and future generations.
Health care institutions like Minidoka stand as a testament to the resilience and compassion of a community that comes together in times of crisis. But let’s not choose to ignore solutions and force ourselves deeper into challenges that are avoidable with attention and support.
Boise, ID
