Gifford to Vt. Legislature: Workforce, Safety Key Concerns

The Herald

Last week, Gifford Health Care’s Ashley Lincoln, the vice president of development and public relations, sent out a missive to legislators summarizing some of the organization’s concerns and highlighting key pieces of legislation after a meeting with legislators in January was called off due to inclement weather. This year Gifford’s list of concerns includes problems with workforce availability, threats of violence to health care workers, and efforts toward health-care reform.

On the workforce front, the hospital’s fact sheet underscores the dearth of qualified nurses to fill roles needed at Gifford and across the state.

That lack of personnel has caused a dramatic hike in the use of so-called traveler nurses, who are intended to fill in short stints as temporary nurses.

Read more