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Searching for Answers: 21 October Departures Leaves Nursing Home Searching

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — A significant number of employee departures in the month of October has left the Sullivan County Nursing Home administration staff wondering how to encourage prospective employees to stay long term.

The departures come as Sullivan County prepares to break ground on their roughly $60 million dollar renovation and construction project to update and improve the facility.

On November 21, 2022, the nursing home’s administration met with the Sullivan County commissioners to discuss, among many items, the current staffing situation regarding the facility. According to documentation provided by nursing home staff, the month of October saw 21 employee departures. This includes 10 per-diem positions, as well as eight full-time positions.

“These are just singular individuals who are making decisions to leave because they’re not willing to uphold contracts or who have found other opportunities. This affects places like the kitchen and definitely nursing,” Human Resources Director Hillary Snide told the county commissioners.

Snide also spoke to a number of other potential reasons for not being able to hire employees that are interested in working at the nursing home with any sense of longevity. According to Snide, these reasons potentially include a significant lack of housing in the area, a disinterest in retiring in New Hampshire, per-diem employees not concerning themselves with benefits, as well as the revolving door of employees that come from one of the five hiring agencies that the facility utilizes.

“We have had to cancel contracts because the new arrivals couldn’t find a place to live,” said County Manager Derek Ferland in regard to the difficulty for nurse housing.

“We continue to pay attention and try to talk to them as they’re leaving and many of them are saying I just want to go try something different,” Snide said.

Snide also theorized that strict COVID-based restrictions at the facility have left potential employees looking elsewhere. According to administration staff at the facility, nursing homes are subject to more strict regulations than other health care facilities. Snide believes that the lack of interest may partially be due to the regulations, as many in the nursing field know they could potentially work at another facility without having to follow those guidelines.

In an effort to combat this level of departures, Sullivan County’s administration hopes to create a fluid dialogue with potential new hires about the benefits of working for the facility,as well as living in the area. Ferland also spoke about obtaining a report on the potential effectiveness that a recent wage increase had on the facility. Sullivan County Commissioner George Hebert suggested starting a campground with campers or tiny homes in an effort to curb the housing crisis in regard to potential nursing hires.

Sullivan County Commissioners, as well as nursing home staff, believe that the new facility will be an attractive aspect of coming to work in New Hampshire but recognize that there are a number of variables that need to be addressed to keep the facility fully staffed.

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