Posted on Feb 21, 2022
Empty beds and waiting lists. Missouri's veterans homes suffer from staffing shortages
264
6
2
4
4
0
Low pay rates exacerbated by the pandemic have left the facilities around the state short-staffed to the point they have empty beds while still having waiting lists.
Todd Callahan, a 50-year-old disabled Navy veteran, loves living at the St. James Veterans home in St. James, about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis. He would recommend it to his fellow veterans who need care.
“(The staff) is friendly, they’re nice. I get good care here. Everything’s nice. It’s a good place to live,” Callahan said. “If there is an opening here, that would be good for (a veteran).”
But the St. James Veterans home is not taking new residents, even though half the beds are empty. That’s because of the 185 jobs at the home, 75 of them are vacant, and that means the dozens of veterans on the waiting list can’t live there.
Todd Callahan, a 50-year-old disabled Navy veteran, loves living at the St. James Veterans home in St. James, about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis. He would recommend it to his fellow veterans who need care.
“(The staff) is friendly, they’re nice. I get good care here. Everything’s nice. It’s a good place to live,” Callahan said. “If there is an opening here, that would be good for (a veteran).”
But the St. James Veterans home is not taking new residents, even though half the beds are empty. That’s because of the 185 jobs at the home, 75 of them are vacant, and that means the dozens of veterans on the waiting list can’t live there.
Empty beds and waiting lists. Missouri's veterans homes suffer from staffing shortages
Posted from kcur.orgPosted in these groups: State of Missouri
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 2
1
1
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“It’s blatantly obvious that the pay is directly correlated to the staffing issues that we’re having,” said Brittany Ritter, administrator of the home.
Missouri pays certified nursing assistants between $12 and $14 per hour to work at the home, but other CNA jobs in the area are advertising $19-$20. The seven state-run veterans homes in Missouri have seen a 91% turnover in CNAs over the past two years.
While the care at state-run veterans homes can vary from state to state, in Missouri the homes recently won “Best in Class” Customer Experience Awards from the Pinnacle Quality Insight company.
The state-run St. James Veterans Home on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in St. James, Missouri.
St. James Home employees say it is frustrating that more of the state’s veterans can’t get the care they deserve.
“These veterans treat you like they’re your family,” said Darla Nebel, activities director in the Alzheimer’s wing at St. James. “When I first started here I was told if you can’t treat them like your family, then honestly you don’t need to be here, because that’s part of it. You have to treat these guys like they are part of your life and part of your family.”
Nebel said she works at the home to serve veterans, and the paycheck is secondary. But state-run veterans homes are finding it hard to staff their facilities with people like her, when other nursing homes are paying more.
“Those people end up getting burned out because they are having to work longer hours. They are being mandated to stay. So it’s a vicious cycle with a negative outcome, unless we are able to change that direction,” Ritter said."...
..."“It’s blatantly obvious that the pay is directly correlated to the staffing issues that we’re having,” said Brittany Ritter, administrator of the home.
Missouri pays certified nursing assistants between $12 and $14 per hour to work at the home, but other CNA jobs in the area are advertising $19-$20. The seven state-run veterans homes in Missouri have seen a 91% turnover in CNAs over the past two years.
While the care at state-run veterans homes can vary from state to state, in Missouri the homes recently won “Best in Class” Customer Experience Awards from the Pinnacle Quality Insight company.
The state-run St. James Veterans Home on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in St. James, Missouri.
St. James Home employees say it is frustrating that more of the state’s veterans can’t get the care they deserve.
“These veterans treat you like they’re your family,” said Darla Nebel, activities director in the Alzheimer’s wing at St. James. “When I first started here I was told if you can’t treat them like your family, then honestly you don’t need to be here, because that’s part of it. You have to treat these guys like they are part of your life and part of your family.”
Nebel said she works at the home to serve veterans, and the paycheck is secondary. But state-run veterans homes are finding it hard to staff their facilities with people like her, when other nursing homes are paying more.
“Those people end up getting burned out because they are having to work longer hours. They are being mandated to stay. So it’s a vicious cycle with a negative outcome, unless we are able to change that direction,” Ritter said."...
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google