Arizona long-term healthcare facilities face staffing crisis

Staff shortages affecting care, and profits - 13 On Your Side's Luis Lopez reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona’s long term health care facilities are struggling due to an employee shortage.
They’re facing issues with providing care and going through financial struggles.

The Arizona Health Care Association says 84% of facilities have said their workforce situation has gotten worse, while 21% saying they’re in what they call ‘crisis mode.’ Not having staff is creating a tough financial situation for the facilities. The CEO of the association David Voepel says that the staff they do have is having to put in extra work just to keep facilities operational.

“So you have a cash flow problem with not being able to fill the beds, but yet you have to pay more for staff because you have to pay overtime and have people take extra shifts in order to do that," Voepel said.

The combination of extra hours and beds not being filled because of the low staff is causing many facilities to lose money, with many facilities actually not making any profits.

"That’s where the response in the survey itself was kind of astonishing, because 62% said they’re operating at zero or a negative.”

This staff shortage is different from what other industries are going through. Unlike other industries, healthcare has to find people who are medically qualified.

In long term care specifically, Voepel saysthere may be other options for work that are a better fit for potential employees, making it that much harder to staff the nursing homes.

“The frontline worker has to want to be passionate about it, because they could go down the road and go to work at the hardware store or you know fast food or something like that for many times what they’re getting paid in long term care."

KYMA reached out to several nursing homes in Yuma, all either declined or were unavailable for comment.