Louisiana Health Official Begs Military for 6,000 More Nurses

I have a lifelong friend who is a travel nurse and she recently sent me a listing for Shreveport. Their pay is substantially high. Longview, Texas was also offering competitive rates hoping to entice travel nurses from all over to bring much-needed help to the Ark-La-Tex.

Why are we needing medical aid in Ark-La-Tex?

Is it the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in our community? Well, kind of. Dr. Joseph Kanter of the Louisiana Department of Health explained he was worried during a Health and Welfare meeting yesterday morning. According to KTBS Dr. Kanter "expressed concern that burnout would become a problem for local healthcare workers."

During the Health and Welfare meeting, Dr. Kanter said we need at least 6,000 more nurses in the Bayou State.

Yes, you read that correctly, we are six thousand nurses short in Louisiana. Kanter also added that the Department of Health has already asked the military for help.

Why is Dr.Kanter calling for 6,000 nurses?

Kanter claimed that 95% of all COVID-19 cases in Louisiana are Delta. Kanter also said that we are seeing 106 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents per day. He also said that the number of Louisiana residents hospitalized with COVID is 2,956 as of Monday, August 17, 2021.

Will the military respond to Louisiana's 6,000 nurse request?

For now, the simple answer is we don't know. Yes, the request has been made by the Louisiana Department of Health, however, we already have several cases nationwide of burnout in the medical field. From doctors to nurses. the burnout is being felt all over America. Who will step in to save Louisiana nurses from burnout?