Employees at the Reno Veterans Affairs Medical Center held a rally on Friday over staffing shortages.
The American Federation of Government Employees has called the shortages "severe" and says it's not just happening here -- but all across the nation.
Protesters say the shortages are resulting in staff being denied time off, which is fueling burnout.
And ultimately, disrupting care for veterans.
“There's delays in care when you have staff that burned out and exhausted and are getting sick...who aren't taken care of their minds and their bodies. Yes, veteran care suffers,” says Dr. Jeanine Packham.
According to the federation, VA medical center shortages have increased by 22% since last year.
They say there are 64,000 vacancies in VA hospitals across the country.
And a survey by the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute found that 50% of hospitals said that beds, units, or programs had been closed at their facilities due to staffing and budget shortages, even when there is patient need.
Union members are calling on the VA to invest in its staff and infrastructure.
We reached out to the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System for a statement on their current staffing levels -
“VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System’s current staffing levels afford us the opportunity to provide safe and quality healthcare for America’s heroes. Recently our Medical Center Director shared a message with all staff that provided some information of the many initiatives in fiscal year 2022 alone that support our staff in a number of different ways. Recruitment of talent is a universal challenge for healthcare organizations, public and private. VA continues to use the many recruitment, retention and relocation strategies that bring new talent to our team of professionals. Passionate and dedicated is how we describe our outstanding team and we will continue, together, to provide Veterans with the world class care they deserve.”
