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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION TO REDUCE THE COOK COUNTY HEALTH SYSTEM’S RELIANCE ON TEMPORARY STAFFING AGENCIES WHILE PRIORITIZING PERMANENT EMPLOYEES
WHEREAS, Nationwide, the U.S. population is increasing, including those aged 65 years and older who are known to visit healthcare providers more frequently; and
WHEREAS, healthcare systems face a shortage of healthcare workers, including nurses and specialized doctors, which may jeopardize access to high quality, equitable care; and
WHEREAS, according to the American Hospital Association, the United States boasts over 6,000 hospitals, including rural, urban, and government community hospitals, servicing over 900,000 beds throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, many hospitals, clinics, and medical centers face a variety of job vacancies, including nurses, respiratory therapists and mental health clinicians; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic left a profound toll on the mental and physical well-being of healthcare workers, with many suffering from burnout, stress, and mental health challenges; and
WHEREAS, demand for healthcare services is expected to significantly increase; and
WHEREAS, to address the shortages of medical professionals, many health systems have resorted to the use of staffing agencies to provide temporary personnel to fill vacancies; and
WHEREAS, agency use has a place in healthcare to bridge unpredictable staffing gaps and in large health systems with staffing challenges, but should not be used to maintain a core workforce; and
WHEREAS, staffing agencies providing temporary employees can be a costly alternative to hiring permanent employees, where agency personnel make double or triple-fold the salary of permanent employees; and
WHEREAS, permanent employees often note the burden of onboarding and training new agency personnel unfairly falls to them, negatively affecting relationships between permanent and agency staff and reducing overall workplace morale; and
WHEREAS, the reduction in workplace morale may have a significant impact on productivity, employee retention and engagement, and results in increased conflict; and
WHEREAS, permanent employees are demonstrably better for workplace morale, long term hospital operations, and quality of care than temporary agency hires; and
WHEREAS, staffing with permanent employees improves the system’s institutional knowledge and is generally less expensive to the overall Cook County Health System; and
WHERAS, in March of 2024, this body passed Resolution 24-1808, titled a “Proposed Resolution on Strengthening And Sustaining The Healthcare Workforce In The United States,”; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 24-1808 highlighted the themes of this resolution, while providing action items for the federal government to work in collaboration with state and local government to grow the healthcare worker pipeline; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Health uses significant agency personnel in positions, including but not limited to, hospital security, respiratory therapy, transportation, food service workers, environmental services, lab workers, and nursing; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Health’s agency-hired personnel range from 50% to over 200% of budgeted FTEs for multiple job positions, including MRI Technician (50%), Building Service Worker (51%), Food Service Worker (64%), Transporter (109%), Phlebotomist III (118%), Hospital Cook (144%), and Medical Technologist (202%); and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, Cook County Health’s agency-hired personnel should not exceed 20% of the budgeted Full Time Equivalents (FTE) personnel for each job classification approved in the annual budget by the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Cook County Health shall provide bi-annual reports to the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Directors of the Cook County Health & Hospital System. Moreover, CCH shall work with the Health and Hospitals Committee Chair to schedule an annual hearing to provide an update to the Board of Commissioners and the public on how the system has reduced agency hiring, and on the progress made to hire permanent employees. These bi-annual reports should include agency level staffing for all positions and include the specific efforts to reduce the reliance on agency staffing in the Cook County Health system.
Effective Date: This resolution shall be in effect immediately upon adoption.
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