Delta variant surge strains nursing workforce in Missouri

As the delta variant takes root in portions of the country with low COVID-19 vaccination rates, CoxHealth, based in Springfield, Mo., reported having to divert patients to hospitals in larger metropolitan areas for the first time since the start of the pandemic. According to an article in Healthcare Dive, the six-hospital system is struggling to find traveling nurses to fill the demand. The health system started the month with 100 traveling nurses, half as many as it needs, because its hospitals are also treating patients who delayed care earlier in the pandemic. CoxHealth CEO Steve Edwards warned other health systems about surges fueled by the delta variant, "It's grown so rapidly that it's outstripped our ability to meet the need." (Healthcare Dive article, 7/2/21)