Oregon State Hospital Down Nursing Staff Due to COVID-19
May 28, 2021 7:44AM PDT
In this Monday, July 27, 2020 file photo, a nurse prepares a shot as a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway in Binghamton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Dire. That’s the description of conditions at the Oregon State Hospital. That’s because COVID-19 is causing at least a third of the nursing staff to go on leave at the Salem hospital.
According to Oregon Live and the Salem Reporter, hospital administrators are asking for 30 National Guard registered nurses to cover shifts, because of the crisis.
SEIU Local 503, the union that represents the health care workers posts a message on its Facebook page. It says, “We need a long term solution, like funding safe staffing levels in the state hospital budget.”
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen wrote a message to other agencies asking for help. He says the circumstances are dire at the hospital.
