Coronavirus Highlights Shortage Of Nurses In Georgia

Susanna Capelouto • Mar 24, 2020

Officials warned last November that the nursing shortage had reached a crisis level.

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The Georgia Department of Public Health put out a call Tuesday for medical volunteers to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in Georgia.

The move comes as more and more cases of COVID-19 are confirmed. Hospitals are seeing more patients with the disease, and Georgia is facing a shortage of nurses.

Officials warned last November that the nursing shortage had reached a crisis level.

“The primary contributing factors are non-competitive salaries and the loss of personnel to retirements without the capacity to recruit new nurses,” according to a DPH presentation on retention and recruitment of nurses.

Matt Caseman, the executive director of the Georgia Nurses Association, says as the virus continues to grow, he worries that “our nurses will get burned out and that we have enough nurses on the front line.”

Medical volunteers can sign up here.

Officials say these volunteers may be used to answer medical questions coming into the COVID-19 hotline or assist at test collection sites.

There is also a need for non-medical volunteers to cover administrative work, help with translations and other needed skills.