CNA raises concerns over nursing home staffing across NC following death of two residents in Thomasville

Amanda Pagano, a traveling Certified Nursing Assistant, said staffing shortages in nursing homes are not unusual right now.

"I see [staffing shortages] happen a lot, especially with the pandemic right now and it's getting worse with omicron," said Pagano. "You're having a lot of staff shortages all over the place and it's rough. It's rough for us as well."

Pagano works in nursing homes across North Carolina. She said the tragedy in Thomasville hit close to home, since she had just worked a shift as one of just three staff caring for 70 patients at another facility.

"It sounds like what I see all the time, and it was horrible to hear about this. You know, the two that didn't make it," said Pagano.

Some staff have quit from stress or burnout while others are out sick or quarantined with the omicron variant, which is infecting even vaccinated staff.

Pagano said there just aren’t enough licensed workers to fill the shifts, even from staffing agencies.

"I do know the residents need more care. Like I said, we do the best that we can with the shortages that we have," she said. "Unfortunately, you know, it's just really tough,"

"Many of us, now, in our communities, have increased wages as much as we can — even up to $20 an hour," said Messer.

She said it's also time to consider changing immigration laws to create work visas for direct care staff, like the U.S. did during the nursing shortage in the late 1980s. The United Kingdom changed its visa rules for direct care workers Thursday.

In the meantime, she's asking families of residents to be patient with staff and to consider coming in if they can to help out with their loved ones.

"They're there for socialization and to find comfort. They're also there if that mother or father wants to try and get up out of bed and they shouldn't, or if they need some help or assistance," said Messer. "So those families, we welcome them ... they have a big part to play, right now especially."

She’s also asking residents’ families to be patient with the staff struggling with shortages. "Our staff who are there are there because they want to be there. They're there because they love what they're doing, or they would not be there today as we speak."

There are no set state or federal rules for nursing home staffing. They're only required to have enough staff to adequately care for residents.