In a week where nearly in emergency rooms for inpatient psychiatric care, 48 of New Hampshire Hospital鈥檚 184 beds are closed due to staffing shortages, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette told executive councilors this week.
That鈥檚 partly due to the department鈥檚 inability to compete with wages and $10,000 sign-on bonuses offered by other hospitals, she said. Additionally, people who no longer require hospitalization cannot be discharged because there鈥檚 insufficient affordable housing or transitional housing that offers them independent living with support. She has cited that 鈥渂ack door鈥� problem for months.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been fully staffed before with all of our beds open and still had a waitlist,鈥� Shibinette told the council. 鈥淲e have nowhere to discharge them.鈥�
At its prior meeting, the council approved a 15 percent wage increase for some department staff, including nurses at the state hospital, which will boost paychecks but still fall short of lucrative sign-on bonuses. And the department has received initial approval from the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee to provide SolutionHealth $15 million toward the construction of a That has not yet come before the Executive Council.
In addition to its beds, Health and Human Services has contracts with six hospitals for additional beds, about 70 for adults and 16 for children.
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