Nursing homes refusing new patients following staff shortages is now burdening hospitals

Some hospitals and nursing homes are facing bigger issues than others, like Hurlbut nursing home on East Henrietta Road.

Only 62% of their employees were vaccinated before the mandate went into effect, causing them to lose a significant portion of their employees.

One woman, Jean Wells, has a mother in that home, and her concerns were originally over the vaccine status of employees, but they have now shifted to whether or not there are enough employees.

Wells says the lack of transparency adds to her worry, saying the nursing home won’t inform her of how many staff have been lost or how they’re making up for staff shortages.

Many nursing homes have stopped accepting new patients, and that burden is falling on hospitals.

If elderly individuals don’t have a home or rehab to return to after surgery, they remain stuck in the hospital, taking up space and adding to the already stressful situation hospitals are in.

The biggest issue to resolve the ripple effect is to get the nursing homes fully staffed again, but that may take some time.

Staff Report

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