AJC: nursing shortage in Georgia is at “crisis levels”
Washington, D.C. –– Thanks to U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, more nursing support is headed to short-staffed Georgia hospitals and hospitals nationwide.
In response to pressure from Sen. Ossoff, the U.S. Department of State agreed to use their authority to ramp up efforts to address the ongoing shortage of nurses and health care workers at hospitals in Georgia and nationwide.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff called on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to bolster the American medical system and address the ongoing shortages by rushing the support of qualified nurses and health care professionals from around the world to the U.S.
Georgia hospitals have recruited health care professionals from around the world, but up until now, backlogs in processing prevented many from coming when urgently needed.
In response, the State Department committed to expediting the process and working to ensure qualified health care professionals from around the world can help where they are most needed.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the nursing shortage in Georgia is at “crisis levels.”
“Health care professionals from around the world have played vital roles throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and are crucial members of our nation’s health care workforce. I urge you to take immediate action and direct the State Department to increase the resources available to address this backlog of health care professionals,” Sen. Ossoff wrote.
Georgia currently has one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the country, with only 10 nurses to every 1,000 people.
Click here to read the State Department’s letter to Sen. Ossoff.
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