Nurses Wanted

Staffing issues continue to be a challenge at Hillside Country Living, the county’s nursing home and assisted and independent living facility on County Road 16, north of Bryan. Overall staffing levels of nursing assistants, resident assistants, housekeepers and more have stabilized somewhat as the worst of the COVID pandemic has subsided, Hillside officials said at a recent meeting. But finding qualified nurses currently is the most pressing issue…it’s affecting patient admission levels at The Heritage, the part of Hillside that provides 24-hour skilled nursing care. The Heritage has just enough nurses for the 66 patients in its care, but not enough for The Heritage’s maximum capacity of 71. It’s not a situation unique to Hillside. Three out of five nursing homes have limited new admissions due to staffing shortages, that’s according to a survey released in June, by the American Health Care Association.