Colorado Hospitals Considering Redeploying Former Medical Practitioners

DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado hospitals are dealing with staff shortages as workers get sick and more people check in. Health officials locally and nationally have warned that there will likely be a spike in COVID-19 cases following the holidays.

Hospitals are on notice.

"We continue to make significant plans for the surge," said Banner Health's Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel. "We continue to work on our staffing plans and continue to bring in contracted labor from the outside of the state and continue to do many other activities to make sure that we have staffing available."

Banner Health hospitals that serve northern Colorado are not only hiring contactors, but are also ready take more drastic steps if necessary.

"Looking to use retired personnel and other avenues to obtain personnel does continue to be on our list," Bessel said.

They also may end up moving former medical practitioners from their corporate positions and practitioners from clinics to hospitals.

"At this time we are also looking to do things like redeployment," Bessel said.

They say avoiding shortages is up to the people they serve. They say we should all follow recommended mitigation efforts mandated by state and national health agencies.

"So that we can dampen the amount of occupancy that we are projecting to have for COVID patients," said Bessel.

They warn that if counties, towns and cities don't do their part by enforcing mitigation efforts, they could overload hospitals.

"When we do not follow those mitigation efforts we risk not being able to have a healthcare system that is there to take care of the patients who will need us."