Goshen Health facing staffing shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic

GOSHEN, Ind.—Goshen Health on Monday said that it is facing staffing shortages at its hospital and medical offices because of COVID-19.

“Colleagues are being exposed to COVID-19 in the community and are testing positive or needing to quarantine because they’ve been around someone who tested positive. This is causing concerning staff shortages in the hospital as well as our other healthcare offices. It is a real problem,” said Dr. Dan Nafziger, Goshen Hospital Chief Medical Officer and Infectious Disease Specialist in a press release on Monday. “Please reduce the nonessential time you are out in public – at work, school, church or shopping. We appreciate everything you do to protect yourself and your loved ones, as well as our healthcare professionals, from contracting the virus. Smaller gatherings at home with family and friends are also spreading the virus.”

Goshen Health said that since March 11, the hospital has had 393 hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and 361 discharges. There have been 42 confirmed COVID-19 positive related deaths, the health system said.

The health system has conducted 19,630 COVID-19 tests since March 11 and 2,632 of those tests have been positive for an overall positivity rate of 13.8%.