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Action needed:
Call or email your U.S. representative and urge them to sign on to a “Dear Colleague” letter asking the White House to enlist the support of federal agencies to investigate reports of anticompetitive behavior from nurse staffing agencies. These anticompetitive practices have exacerbated significant workforce challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Find your representative’s contact information via this online directory.
- House Democrats should email gabie.camozzi@mail.house.gov in Rep. Peter Welch’s (D-VT) office.
- House Republicans should email emily.mace@mail.house.gov in Rep. Morgan Griffith’s (R-VA) office.
Timing:
Call or email your representative TODAY. The deadline to sign on to the letter is Jan. 21.
Resources:
- CHA’s letter to Attorney General Rob Bonta asking his office to use its resources and expertise to promptly investigate concerns around skyrocketing prices charged by staffing agencies and act accordingly on their findings
- CHA’s key messages on workforce shortages
Background:
California hospitals are facing the worst staffing shortage since the beginning of the pandemic. For example, a hospital system in the San Diego area recently reported that job openings have grown by more than 50%, and nurse vacancies have increased by 96%. As California’s hospitals turn to staffing agencies to help fill temporary gaps, it has become next to impossible for many to obtain staff from contracted agencies because of increased nationwide demand and unprecedented pricing due to the rates that some staffing agencies are charging.
Reps. Welch and Griffith are leading a letter asking the White House to enlist the support of federal agencies to investigate reports of anticompetitive behavior from nurse staffing agencies. Urge your representative to sign on to the bipartisan letter to protect hospitals and the patients they serve.