By Chris Miller, Assistant Editor, Facility Market

Texas has hired more than 8,000 contract healthcare professionals to help with the current COVID-19 surge. Their purpose is to increase hospital capacity around the state and provide relief to the staff already working at state hospitals. The decision comes as local health officials objected to the fact that they had to outbid each other to hire contract nurses during a time of staffing shortages.

Hospitalizations from the disease are getting dangerously close to the state’s record set last winter, according to the Texas Tribune. Texas hospitals reported about 14,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. The state’s hospitals have been dealing with staffing shortages for months as nurses and others have suffered from pandemic-related fatigue. More children and pregnant women with COVID-19 symptoms have been getting admitted to Texas hospitals during the surge. This is creating a greater need for pediatric nurses.

There has been a limited number of open ICU beds in the state. Between August 13 and August 19, at least 89 Texas hospitals had no available beds, according to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. This is the second time Texas has made the move to hire healthcare professionals on a contract. From July 2020 to August 2021, the state invested heavily in federal disaster funds and coronavirus relief funds on medical professionals. As of this summer, about $5.7 billion has been allocated to Texas counties, and roughly $4.8 billion has gone to Texas cities. The state has been emphasizing vaccinations as the primary way to reduce the need for supplemental staff.