By John Green, The Hutchinson News, September 30, 2011
Larned State Hospital administrators informed a large group of its employees Wednesday they'll be on mandatory 48-hour workweeks starting next month, until further notice, because of a severe shortage of nursing staff at the psychiatric hospital.
"We're down 104 people, and filling 52 positions," said Angela de Rocha, director of communications with the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, the state agency that oversees the hospital. That's more than 10 percent of the hospital's total workforce, which is now at 860 employees.
Some have left under the state's recently announced early retirement plan. Others left for better paying jobs in a competitive market, de Rocha said. Other positions had remained unfilled under a state hiring freeze, which the state recently lifted. She didn't have a breakdown for each category.
"These are stressful jobs," de Rocha noted. "And there are not a lot of unemployed people in the Larned area to fill them. The Larned and Great Bend job market is a lot tighter than some places."
The hospital houses patients primarily committed by court order -- including the state's sexual predator program - and others with psychiatric problems unable to be cared for in their home communities.
Superintendent Christopher Burke, recently named to the hospital's top post, did not return calls to The News.
"What we're doing right now is a huge recruiting effort," de Rocha said. "We're having a job fair Oct. 4 in Larned. We've advertised it in all Kansas newspapers, on television and radio. We're even advertising in Nevada and Kansas City, where they have a higher unemployment rates."
The administration informed employees of the mandatory overtime at meetings Wednesday afternoon.
"We've taken employees from the activity therapy, psychiatric and social work departments and are asking each to work an additional eight-hour shift each week on the unit," de Rocha said. "They can work one extra shift, or they can work two extra four-hour shifts."
The employees in the three departments are already regularly in contact with patients at the hospital. There new duties will be to serve as "care technicians," de Rocha said.
"If we had to hire people off the street to be technicians, it would take 80 hours to train them," she said. "Since these individuals are already in regular contact, they only have to go through an eight-hour training period. They are already highly trained people and they know the preferred ways to treat and interact with clients."
The employees would get the extra training, de Rocha said, during their first extra shift.
"This is temporary until they get positions filled," de Rocha said. "They will try to work around family schedules and other life concerns."
Through the mandatory overtime for the three departments, the hospital will cover the work of 22 vacant positions, de Rocha said.
The hospital has also moved three people from property handling to become full-time line technicians, de Rocha said, assigning their former work of bringing property to patients to hospital security staff.
"We want to stress this is not forever," de Rocha said. "It is a stopgap measure. It will end. The recruitment drive is pretty ambitious."
FYI The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services will host a job fair in attempt to fill more than four dozen vacant positions at Larned State Hospital. When: 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Where: Larned State Hospital Auditorium. Go to the hospital main entrance, 1301 Kansas Highway 264, and ask to be directed to the auditorium. K-264 is about three miles west of downtown on K-156. Positions available: RN, LPN, PRN, MHDD trainee, food service, cook, custodian, social worker, activity therapist, security officer, unit leader, psychologist, maintenance and administrative assistant. Benefits: Included are health and dental insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, KPERS retirement, on-campus fitness center and on-campus daycare. For more information, visit www.jobs.ks.gov or call (620) 285-4380.
http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/larned-state-hospital-mandatory-OT