Virginia
Workforce study shows the need for medical staff in West Virginia – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A recent workforce study is showing the state’s largest segment of healthcare has come face-to-face with multiple converging factors that’s heightening its staffing shortages.
New data shows more than 49,000 caregivers are employed by West Virginia hospitals and the West Virginia Hospital Association recently launched the 2023 Healthcare Workforce Report, which not only presents the challenges of the hospital workforce shortages but the opportunities to potentially resolve it.
WVHA President Jim Kaufman came on MetroNews Talkline Wednesday to first discuss the key findings behind the study that have exacerbated these staffing shortages.
Kaufman said the study found that declining college enrollment, increased burnout, an aging workforce with less people entering healthcare fields overall, and the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic have all contributed to the problem.
However, another major part of the problem Kaufman said is the significantly less pay West Virginia healthcare workers make as opposed to healthcare workers in other states.
“One of the biggest challenges we also have is keeping those healthcare workers here in West Virginia, because we know we pay less than the national average,” said Kaufman. “When I was looking at some numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for some of these key positions in this report were anywhere from 10 to 20% below the national average.”
According to the study, West Virginia hospitals spend an estimated $97 million to help cover the cost of vacancies, including recruiting and retaining medical staff. It also helps to cover funding for the increasing travel costs of traveling nurses, who have recently been widely used to help alleviate these vacancies.
“The hospitals are in this sort of catch 22 of how do you make sure that you have the staff that you need to take care of the patients when you know there are vacancy rates, and I know travelers are receiving a lot of attention, and it’s almost a catch 22, because if you don’t use travelers, you burn out your staff faster, but then to recruit and get those travelers from across the country, you have to pay more,” said Kaufman.
The increased demand for travel nurses comes as a direct result of the need for local nurses, including RNs and LPNs, who have the single highest turnover rate at 42.9%.
“That’s a huge burden that we’re looking at and how do we try to get that down, and there are a lot of opportunities that we can try to shift back to more house staff versus travelers,” he said.
However, Kaufman said these vacancies are not just limited to nurses, but diagnostic imagery and medical laboratory professionals who run X-rays, CT scanners, MRI machines and aid in the delivery of medications when radiation is needed, among the need for other hospital workers.
“What’s important to note is that there are a lot of positions critical to the hospital not included in this report, like environmental services, nutrition services, 24 hours a day 7 days a week so we can keep the facilities clean and operational, and we need to feed not just our staff but our patients,” he said.
Respiratory therapy was yet another major vacancy listed in the report, however, and one which saw a vastly increased demand during Covid, as workers were needed to be able to operate ventilators.
Kaufman said, according to the study, these vacancies and turnover rates in hospitals can not only lead to a negative impact on healthcare spending, but the quality of care and patient safety and satisfaction.
However, he said solutions to address these problems are being taken into account, an effort that is extending beyond the healthcare realm and into the hands of colleges, lawmakers and other parts of the community.
“That’s why the hospitals are looking across the board, how do we work with the community, higher ed, K to 12, policymakers, to address these vacancy rates and improve access to care for all of West Virginia,” said Kaufman.
Kaufman said recent efforts from West Virginia lawmakers to add healthcare workforce initiatives into policy making decisions has helped alleviate some of the strain.
Governor Jim Justice and his administration’s efforts is just one example of such outreach, as they recently launched the second round of investments to the Nursing Workforce Expansion Initiative. An initiative that was originally launched in 2021 with an initial investment of $48 million towards the recruitment and retention of nursing staff, and another $20 million has gone to the effort since then.
West Virginia hospitals are licensed for a total of 6,441 acute care beds but currently can only staff approximately 4,800 beds, the study finds, and while it’s also finding that the shortages are not showing any signs of decreasing overtime, continued strategic investments and recalibration can help alleviate the problem.
A Virginia woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s office.
Gennevieve McGhee, 44, was allegedly captured via audio and video evidence in the meticulous planning of a murder for hire, the sheriff’s office said.
McGhee is accused of meeting with a confidential source at her residence in Ridgeway, Virginia. The source was acting under law enforcement direction and utilizing a recording device to capture evidence.
TEXAS INFLUENCER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT
Henry County Sheriff’s Office charged Gennevieve McGhee, 44, with criminal solicitation of murder following an investigation that revealed her alleged involvement in planning a murder for hire. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)
She allegedly discussed detailed instructions on payment arrangements and instructions for carrying out a robbery and murder.
McGhee is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.
INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL CHARGED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT ON SIKH SEPARATIST LEADER IN NEW YORK CITY
Gennevieve McGhee, 44, is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. (iStock)
McGhee was taken into custody by deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.
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The case remains under review by the Henry County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Additional information on the case is not available at this time, officials said.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) will meet the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in the third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament for the sixth meeting between the two programs.
West Virginia vs. Arizona Series History
Arizona leads 2-3
Last Meeting: March 28, 2008 (NCAA Tournament) WVU 75-65
When: Friday, November 29
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas, Imperial Arena (3,900)
Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. EST
Stream: ESPN2
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli
Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College(Radio affiliates)
WVU Game Notes
– West Virginia was scheduled to play in the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis. The tournament was moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., due to COVID, and the Mountaineers won the renamed Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
– WVU is 45-16 in in-season tournaments since 2007.
– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.
– Prior to the overtime win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU had lost six straight overtime games.
– This is WVU’s fourth trip outside the United States and Puerto Rico to play a regular season game. WVU played in Cancun in 2013 and 2019 and opened the season in Germany in the 2017 Armed Forces Classic.
– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg)
– West Virginia is 201-55 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.
– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 31 of the last 32 seasons.
– WVU is 265-99 in its last 362 games against unranked teams, including winners of 148 of its last 180 at the WVU Coliseum.
– This is the 116th season and 122nd year overall for WVU basketball, which began in 1903.
– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .731 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.
– DeVries has a record of 154-57 (.731) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 59-16 (.787) mark in the last two-plus seasons.
– This past August, the men’s basketball team went to Italy for a 10-day tour and won all three of its games against international competition.
– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).
– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) will all see considerable action this season.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.
West Virginia got off to a hot start at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis by knocking off undefeated Gonzaga 86-78 in overtime in their first-round matchup. The Mountaineers have received strong performances to begin the season from two upperclassman transfers: Javon Small and Tucker DeVries.
With each player delivering standout performances, it’s time to start considering them seriously as draft prospects.
Let’s take a closer look at their outings in this big win and dive into their seasons as a whole up to this point.
Tucker DeVries finished this game with a stuffed stat line of 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks. This level of versatility clearly illustrates the type of player he is, as he looked solid in nearly every aspect of the game. He has good positional size at 6-foot-7 and plays with a very high IQ on both ends of the floor. His defensive impact was especially noticeable, as he consistently made impactful plays, including a steal that led to free throws to tie the game at the end of regulation. DeVries finished the second half on a 5-0 run, which gave West Virginia momentum to capture the game in overtime.
DeVries has had a solid all-around season leading up to this performance, averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks, with shooting splits of 36.6%/40.7%/81.3%. If he were to be drafted following this season, it would likely be in the second round, but his versatile play style is very promising.
Javon Small led the Mountaineers in scoring during this upset victory, contributing 31 points on impressive shooting splits of 50%/40%/81.8%. In addition to his scoring, he also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and added one steal and one block. Small is a quick and slippery guard who stayed in attack mode throughout the game, translating well into fast-break opportunities. Rarely staying in one spot on offense, Small kept the floor spaced and forced his defender to fight through traffic to keep up with him. His offensive approach was patient as he waited for his defender to get off balance before attacking.
Before this game, Small had averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, four assists and three steals. He leads the Mountaineers in points, assists, and steals, while providing a noticeable spark on a nightly basis. Small is now at his third school in four years, with similar statistics in each of his previous two seasons. As an older guard, it is not guaranteed that he will be drafted, but if this level of productivity continues throughout the season, he may receive an opportunity to prove himself at the next level.
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