For the second year in a row, hospital CEO’s are saying that workforce challenges are the number one concern facing their organizations. That’s according to a survey from the American College of Healthcare Executives. And the CEO of Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Scott Neeley agrees. He says they’re still trying to recover from an exodus of employees sparked by the pandemic…

click to listen to Dr Neeley

And Neeley says hospitals are needing to offer much higher pay, to address worker gaps…

click to listen to Dr Neeley

Financial challenges were the second-largest concern, followed by behavioral health and addiction issues. Before staffing woes took the top spot last year, financial challenges had previously ranked as number one for 16 consecutive years. Nurses in particular have been engaged in labor actions, including strikes, to get updated staffing language and raises, to better recruit and retain needed staff outlined in new employment contracts in the past year.