Field hospital CEO: Without nurses, opening 495 Union makes no sense
“There are plenty of beds available,” said Richard Walker, the emergency medicine physician in charge of running the 400-bed care center at 495 Union, seen here at the field hospital with Gov. Bill Lee in May. “The problem is with the nursing shortage, there are hundreds of beds we can’t staff now.” (Submitted)
Staffing shortages account for bottlenecks in emergency rooms, and the inability to staff hundreds of vacant hospital rooms.
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Dr. Richard Walker nursing shortageJane Roberts
Jane Roberts has reported in Memphis for more than 20 years. As a senior member of The Daily Memphian staff, she was assigned to the medical beat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has done in-depth work on other medical issues facing our community, including shortages of specialists in local hospitals. She covered K-12 education here for years and later the region’s transportation sector, including Memphis International Airport and FedEx Corp.
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