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Month: August 2022

Staff Shortages Choking US Health Care System | Healthiest Communities Health News

Staff Shortages Choking US Health Care System | Healthiest Communities Health News

As the pandemic stretches on with no clear end in sight, one of the biggest unanswered questions is what this experience has meant, and ultimately will mean, for those who’ve been on the front lines throughout – the nation’s health care workforce – and the patients they serve.

An estimated 1.5 million health care jobs were lost in the first two months of COVID-19 as the country raced to curb the novel coronavirus by temporarily closing clinics and restricting non-emergency services at US hospitals. Though many of those jobs have since returned, health care employment remains below pre-pandemic levels, with the number of workers down by 1.1%, or 176,000, compared to February 2020, per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Yet the need for health care workers has never been greater. Staffing shortages are now the nation’s top patient safety concern, forcing Americans to endure longer wait times when

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