Florida Hospital Association

The Florida Hospital Association said the House budget is harsher on hospitals, but said both chambers are proposing to eliminate funds for facilities that treat large numbers of Medicaid patients.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association, about how the state's hospitals are navigating the Supreme Court's decision on vaccine mandates.

Florida Hospital Association president Mary Mayhew says staff having to isolate due to the virus and workers taking lucrative travel jobs are posing challenges for hospitals amid the omicron surge.

Groups representing nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and home health providers detail issues such as nurse and CNA shortages and a lack of nursing faculty and student slots at colleges.

Hospitalizations in the state due to COVID have dropped below levels from the same date a year ago, according to the association and federal data. .

In advance of the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers eye ways to bolster education and training programs for nurses and other health professionals to help alleviate industry-wide staffing woes.

Florida health officials say the number of COVID cases is continuing to trend down, but the president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association tells legislators that staffing concerns remain.

Nursing shortages were already a problem, but the COVID-19 pandemic and population growth are making things worse.

The Florida Hospital Association is sounding the alarm, saying a survey shows 68 hospitals have less than a 48-hour supply of oxygen

“Over the last six weeks, we’ve seen a rapid increase in the number of COVID hospitalizations now exceeding over 17,000 individuals currently hospitalized for COVID," said FHA President Mary Mayhew.