DENVER — One of the chief concerns with the novel coronavirus crisis is that health-care systems will be overwhelmed, with more patients than health-care staff can serve.
Local nurse staffing firms are looking to ease that burden, providing temporary nurse staffing to hospitals. On Monday, Colorado announced it had 50 new nurses from Aurora-based Freedom Health Care Staffing Company. Those nurses will staff testing sites and health-care facilities, made possible with a portion of the $3 million Disaster Emergency Fund from an executive order by Governor Jared Polis, which declared a disaster emergency due to coronavirus on March 11.
“We are proud to be able to assist the State of Colorado, and our many other private clients throughout the United States, with experienced crisis nurses during this emergency situation," Freedom CEO Eric Broder told Denver Business Journal in an emailed statement. "Our company was created for the purpose of assisting healthcare organizations to quickly meet unanticipated and urgent staffing shortages, and this assignment is within our capabilities and mission."
Other Colorado firms are also aiding in the health-care crisis — and were created for just such an event.
Fastaff is a Denver-based travel nursing firm that specializes in providing temporary nurses for crisis events, whether that be hurricanes, strikes, Ebola or COVID-19.
“This is what we’re built on,” Lauren Pasquale, vice president of marketing for Fastaff and its sister organization, U.S. Nursing Corp.
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