(Fargo, ND) -- North Dakota's Long Term Care Association is calling for immediate relief from nationwide Covid-19 restrictions.
Shelly Peterson is the President of the North Dakota Long Term Care Association (LTCA). She is among multiple ND LTCA members calling for swift and immediate action from multiple federal regulatory bodies to remove several restrictions still in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Peterson says the current mitigation strategies are severely impacting multiple facets of their organization, including resident mental health, staffing numbers, and even facility closure.
"We want to talk to the federal government and tell them 'enough is enough' , we need some change, "said Peterson, "Residents are tired of the Covid restrictions. We've been in this game for almost 1,000 days, we need to move beyond it."
Peterson says long term care facilities also have lost over 1,000 staffing positions across the state, and have needed to use travel nurses in their place. Peterson says increased costs and staffing shortages, which she claims have been caused by federal Covid-19 restrictions, contributed to three rural care facilities closing within North Dakota.
"We can't get staff. And if we can't get staff, we can't care for residents the way we want to care for them, and what they deserve, "said Peterson, "The only way we can maintain our staffing and get care to residents is to hire contract temporary staff. ..We have over a 100% increase in the use of contract agency staff, and sometimes triple the price. When we look at the facilities that have closed, its financial viability. You can't afford the price of contract nursing."
Peterson says the restrictions she would like to see removed or changed are masking around vaccinated residents and a twice-a-week testing requirement. She says these these restrictions directly impact the mental health of residents across the state in a negative way.