Shreveport mayor, health leaders discuss hospital staffing shortage

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Mayor Adrian Perkins held a news conference Wednesday, June 29 to discuss the impact the hospital staffing shortage is having on healthcare in the city.

The mayor was joined by hospital and healthcare leaders in the community, specifically to talk about COVID-19. The mayor’s office says during the pandemic, hospital staffing in Louisiana and many other states was significantly supplemented by contracted nurses and other staff members. Those staffing costs were supported by federal agencies; that funding ends July 1.

FULL NEWS CONFERENCE:

During the news conference, leaders discussed how this will impact hospital strategy moving forward and what steps are being taken to minimize the impact to the public.

As of Tuesday, June 28, there were 491 new COVID cases in Region 7 (northwest Louisiana), accounting for 20% of the cases in the state. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) reported 2,405 cases across the state, with 56% of those coming from those who are not fully vaccinated.

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