DALLAS – Hundreds more health workers will be sent to north Texas over the next week to address the shortage of hospital staff.
Parkland said there are currently three COVID-19 stations operating on Friday and they will likely need to expand as hospital admissions trend upwards.
Like every hospital in the area, it doesn’t have enough nurses or support staff.
Travel nurses fill this void.
The surge in COVID-19 patients is not slowing as Parkland is about to open its fourth COVID unit.
Staff help is on the way, but officials said it is still not enough.
“It’s like every week that we have to take in new patients. And, you know, it just doesn’t seem to end,” said traveling nurse Nichole Dadzie.
The staff shortage in Texas hospitals was fully exposed when the Delta variant began to rise last month.
By next week, 5,000 reinforcements are expected to be deployed across the state.
TIED TOGETHER: 100 traveling medical workers traveling to hospitals in North Texas to help during the Delta Variant surge
Parkland and John Peter Smith Hospitals received their first wave of nurses this week.
“It almost felt like Calvary was coming. There was applause as the staff got off the bus,” said Donna Richardson, Parkland Nursing Director.
Many of the auxiliaries are seasoned nurses who have left their full-time hospital work for travel work.
“I was one of the nurses who opened a COVID ward and I didn’t know what to expect. You know it’s kind of stressful, “added Dadzie.
Dadzie works for Plano-based StaffDNA.
The company helps connect nurses with hundreds of hospitals across the country.
Dadzie quit her regular nurse job in Dallas after having twins in order to have a more flexible schedule.
She now has a 13 week contract with Baylor Medical in Irving.
“I’ve had several patients who asked, ‘Sister, can I take? [a vaccine] now and be good? ‘ or ‘nurse you know I made a mistake not to take? [a vaccine]”Said Dadzie.
StaffDNA said its traveling nurses earn, on average, more than twice as much as full-time hospital staff per week.
Many hospitals lose nurses just because they can make more money traveling. There is also burnout.
“There is a huge shortage. And I would say one of the reasons for me is that the burned out nurses are so burned out, ”said Dadzie.
“We definitely need more staff. In total, we’ve lost about 500 nurses, so 34 is some help, but we need more,” said Richardson.
The load on the system is great.
Dadzie says she is able to help people in need, which is what keeps them alive.
“At the end of the day, I see my family. You know, I’m grateful for that. That’s why I want to give these patients this opportunity as well. That keeps me going, “said Dadzie.
The DFW Hospital Council predicts that north Texas hospitals will get about 200 more workers next week.
TIED TOGETHER: Texas hospital officials testify to the Senate committee about the battle to fill nurses
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