Some Long Term Care and Assisted Living Communities Are in Need of Workers

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has requested help from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to support long-term care and assisted living communities in the state hit by worker shortages, reports Fox 21 . Spirit Valley Assisted Living in Duluth has one staffer for every 10 residents, which means a shortfall can impact various facets of care. "If we do not have enough staff on-site to care for our residents, we won't have enough staff to attend to our visitors," warns Spirit Valley administrator Lindsay Merritt. "A lot of people forget we have to care for everyone. It's not just the residents, it's the people coming and going, the vendors, and the providers." Although Duluth's St. Ann's Residence community currently has enough workers to prevent staffing issues, this has not always been the case during the pandemic. When St. Ann's was struck by COVID-19, a lack of workers ensued. Johnson adds that the healthcare sector was already experiencing an employee shortage before the pandemic, mainly because its competitive nature always makes it difficult to retain top staff.