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Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role public health officials play in Oregon. But a new report released this week says the state’s 32 county-based health agencies are facing a staffing crisis.
The study found Oregon’s licensing system makes it difficult for nurses from other states to come here to work.
An even bigger problem: Public agencies have to compete directly with private health care providers who can pay their employees much more. Starting pay for nurses, for example, is less than $30 an hour at public health agencies, a fraction of what they can make at hospitals.
“Nurses can go to the hospital ICU and can make $100 per hour,” Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas County health officer, said in a statement. “When a public health department offers $27.30 an hour, they think we must have missed a digit.”
