Nursing experience staffing shortages

LITTLE ROCK —As we enter a new wave of COVID-19, nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Arkansas are experiencing a staffing shortage.

The Arkansas Health Care Association says that nearly every facility in Arkansas has open positions.

“Right now, we’ve got our biggest area of need is about nurses. We need a lot of nurses, especially in long-term care,” said executive director Rachel Bunch.

It’s a trend seen across the country. AARP reports nearly a third of the nation’s nursing homes need more staff, which is the highest rate since the pandemic began.

However, Bunch says nursing home residents and their families shouldn’t worry about their level of care.

“We see people stepping up and continue to offer their time to come in, and we continue to try to recruit and retain the people that we have,” she said.

In the new year, the Arkansas Health Care Association plans to work with different colleges and programs to recruit recent graduates. It’s all the more important as the omicron variant spreads across the state.

“We’re concerned about the spread of this new variant, and we definitely don’t want to repeat what happened back in 2020,” said Bunch. “But our vaccination rates continue to grow.”

Bunch says Arkansas has one of the highest vaccination rates in the southern states for healthcare workers and that can help keep their cases down.

“We’re really glad that our workers are stepping up and getting the vaccine and that our numbers in Arkansas stand out in a good way,” she said.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Arkansas Department of Health reports nearly 2,300 nursing home deaths due to the virus.

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LITTLE ROCK — Survivors should be aware that con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after a disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In some cases, thieves try to apply for FEMA assistance using names, addresses and Social Security numbers they have stolen from survivors.

If a FEMA Inspector comes to your home and you did not submit a FEMA application, your information may have been used without your knowledge to create a FEMA application. If so, please inform the inspector that you did not apply for FEMA assistance so they can submit a request to stop further processing of the application.

If you did not apply for assistance, but receive a letter from FEMA, please call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The helpline will submit a request to stop any further processing of that application.

If you do wish to apply for FEMA assistance after stopping an application made in your name without your knowledge, the Helpline will assist you in creating a new application.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, housing inspectors and other officials are working in areas impacted by the storms.

They carry official identification badges with photo IDs. FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration representatives never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications.

Don’t believe anyone who promises a disaster grant in return for payment.

Be wary of unexpected phone calls or visits to your home from people claiming to be FEMA housing inspectors or people claiming they work for FEMA.

FEMA representatives will have a photo-ID badge and your FEMA application number.

Don’t give your banking information to a person claiming to be a FEMA housing inspector. FEMA inspectors are never authorized to collect your personal financial information.

If you believe you are the victim of a scam report it immediately to your local police or sheriff’s department or contact the Office of the Arkansas Attorney General at (501) 682-2007 or (800) 482-8982 or email oag@ArkansasAG.gov.

If you suspect fraudulent activity involving FEMA, you can report it to the FEMA Fraud Branch at: StopFEMAFraud@fema.dh s.gov, fax: (202) 212-4926 or write to: FEMA Fraud and Internal Investigation Division, 400 C Street SW Mail Stop 3005, Washington, DC 20472.

-3005.

If you suspect identity theft, please visit Identity Theft | FTC Consumer Information or IdentityTheft.gov.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/ 4633. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook. com/FEMARegion6/.