SEN. KOLKHORST PRAISES DEPLOYMENT OF NURSES TO HOSPITALS BY STATE
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst acknowledged the efforts by the State of Texas to address the COVID-19 surge by deploying nurses and healthcare staff to hospitals in need of personnel.
(courtesy Office of Lois Kolkhorst)
Kolkhorst said in a release that, according to state health officials, approximately 2,000 nurses are being sent to Texas hospitals that requested staff assistance in responding to the rising number of COVID-19 patients in various areas of the state.
Kolkhorst said the State has “listened” to the healthcare systems that have recently asked for assistance, meaning that hospitals “should now be able to open up more capacity to treat COVID-19 patients as well as other patients in need of healthcare.” She called healthcare workers “heroes” for their “tireless efforts” since the beginning of the pandemic, and added that the State “must continue to help open more beds to relieve the pressure.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is seeking an additional 5,700 nurses, including ICU nurses and respiratory therapists, to help facilities with staffing needs to expand their capacity to serve patients. According to the COVID-19 data dashboard managed by DSHS, the State added nearly 5,600 newly staffed hospital beds in 10 days, from 59,886 beds on Tuesday, August 10th to 65,477 on Friday, August 20th.
This comes after a hearing held on August 10th by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Kolkhorst. During the hearing, Senators and witnesses representing health entities across the state discussed the COVID-19 situation and ways that the state could respond effectively. Governor Greg Abbott last week directed the state to resume staffing assistance for hospitals in order to manage the influx of new patients.
Kolkhorst said the healthcare sector, like other industries, has recently experienced a “challenging labor market.” She said since April 2020, the State with federal assistance has provided Texas hospitals $5.36 billion in healthcare staffing, and is looking to spend “several hundred million more in the latest surge to supplement the healthcare labor shortage.”
More than 12,000 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Texas. According to DSHS, over 92,500 Texans were vaccinated on August 18th, up nearly 4 percent from August 14th.