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Federal funding used for COVID nursing incentives

W.Va. using remaining CARES Act funds to buoy the state’s healthcare system to handle severe cases

Photo Courtesy/WV Governor’s Office SENIOR DIRECTOR — Dr. Cynthia Persily, senior director of health sciences at the Higher Education Policy Commission, explains the use of federal C.A.R.E.S. Act funds for new nursing incentive programs.

CHARLESTON — While still encouraging remaining West Virginians to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or get a booster shot if they’re already vaccinated, West Virginia officials are shifting focus to buoy the state’s healthcare system to handle severe cases.

Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday during a COVID-19 briefing at the State Capitol Building a new incentive program to aggressively recruit, train, and retain nurses in West Virginia.

“We know we have an incredible shortage of nurses,” Justice said. “So today, we’re announcing right now a really aggressive program … we’re going to aggressively recruit, and we’re going to aggressively staff and make every effort to train more and more nurses in the State of West Virginia.”

The program, in cooperation with the Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, will focus on expanding licensed practical nurse (LPN) and registered nurse (RN) programs at Concord University in Athens, Glenville State College, and BridgeValley Community and Technical College in South Charleston and Montgomery.

The state will also implement and expand key nursing education programs across the state by fully funding the West Virginia Nursing Scholarship program, and developing a nursing faculty loan repayment program to encourage nurses to help educate future nurses.

“This is definitely an historic investment in our nursing workforce for the future of West Virginia,” said Dr. Cynthia Persily, senior director of health sciences at the HEPC. “It’s been especially true over the last two years that nurses are the heart of our healthcare system. Their work and dedication are invaluable. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical shortages of nurses we have both in West Virginia as well as across the nation.”

Justice said more than 1,700 registered nurses declined to renew their licenses over the last year.

Of that number, 68 percent said they didn’t renew because they were tired. Ann Urling, Justice’s deputy chief of staff, said the state’s goal is produce more than 2,000 new nurses over the next four years.

“I think we have a good, solid plan,” Urling said.

To kickstart the program, Justice said he would use $48 million of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (C.A.R.E.S.) Act dollars, though he said the state would continue to fund the program.

“My hope is we’re going to flood West Virginia with quality, great nurses that don’t get tired,” Justice said. “That just do the great work that they do every day. That are rejuvenated everyday by our commitment to do something with the C.A.R.E.S. dollars that will produce a multiplier effect to those dollars within our own state. It will not be a one-time spend.”

According to the State Auditor’s Office, West Virginia still has $125.7 million in C.A.R.E.S. Act funds. Passed at the end of March 2020 as the pandemic first started sweeping over the nation, the $2.2 trillion C.A.R.E.S. Act provided $150 billion for state and local governments.

West Virginia received $1.25 billion for coronavirus-related expenses for state, county, and city governments. Most of the funds went to stabilize the state’s unemployment trust fund and reimburse local governments. States have until Dec. 31, to spend the remaining funds, otherwise the funds must be returned to the federal government.

According to DHHR, there were 605 confirmed COVID-19 cases in West Virginia hospitals, up 21.5 percent from 498 hospitalizations on Thanksgiving Day. Of that number, 208 cases were in state intensive care units, up 26.8 percent from a post-delta low of 164 ICU cases on Nov. 14.

The Thanksgiving Day hospitalization number was a 50.8 percent drop from a peak of 1,012 hospitalizations on Sept. 24 due to the delta variant wave, which was 23.7 percent higher than the peak of 818 hospitalizations during the first COVID-19 wave that peaked Jan. 5. The Nov. 14 ICU number was a 44.6 percent decrease from the delta ICU peak of 296 cases on Sept. 29, which was a 35.2 percent increase from 219 ICU cases last January.

In a statement Monday, the West Virginia Hospital Association raised the alarm about possible increases in hospitalizations in the coming weeks due to the new omicron variant becoming the dominant variant. All available data on omicron has shown it to be more contagious than delta but possibly milder for those vaccinated. Still, the quick growth of omicron could send a wave of hospitalizations at one time, overwhelming medical professionals.

“Projections show that for the 2021 holiday season, we will approach the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in West Virginia since the pandemic began,” the statement read.

“The vast majority of patients in the ICU and on ventilators are unvaccinated and the national shortage of monoclonal antibodies has greatly restricted access to an effective treatment option,” the statement continued. “In addition, we are seeing high numbers of patients with other medical conditions requiring hospital care such as flu, heart diseases, cancer, and trauma. This combination has strained the health care system and now after nearly two years, the system is nearing a breaking point as healthcare workers are mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 4,622 out of 5,846 inpatient beds were in use in West Virginia hospitals, or 79.1 percent of hospital beds in the state as of Tuesday. Of those beds, 636 beds (11.2 percent) were COVID-19 patients. When it comes to ICU beds, 491 out of 615 ICU beds were occupied, or 79.8 percent of all ICU beds. Of that number, 194 ICU beds (31.9 percent) were COVID patients.

James Hoyer, the leader of the state joint interagency COVID-19 task force, said state health officials conducted a tabletop exercise recently to develop ideas to help lessen the load on hospitals.

“We’re looking at a variety of things that we can do and continue to look at doing to relieve pressure as we see omicron and the potential next significant surge come our way,” Hoyer said.

“That includes everything, from working with the National Guard and FEMA on manpower issues to looking for availability of home health support and oxygen, working with our community health clinics on extended hours and availability of services in those areas, as well as testing kits to a whole variety of other things, to unfortunately include we have the appropriate availability of morgue space,” Hoyer said.

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)

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