It can’t compare to the horror of a real war, such as in Ukraine, but health care systems have indeed been in a life-and-death struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And as Lifespan Corp. CEO and President Dr. Timothy J. Babineau said during PBN’s Spring 2022 Health Care Summit on April 6, like after an actual war, the rebuilding won’t be quick.
For Rhode Island’s largest hospital system, “It’s going to take us years to rebuild,” he said.
The biggest long-term challenge for Lifespan and Care New England Health System will be returning staffing to pre-pandemic levels. Lifespan currently has about 2,000 more openings than usual.
Fellow summit panelist Dr. James McDonald, interim director of the R.I. Department of Health, said with more staffing, his department could license health care professionals faster. He also pointed to R.I.’s low Medicaid reimbursement rates and said student loan repayment could lure more health care workers.
State lawmakers must explore all these needs and more to be part of the rebuild.