Nearly three years after COVID-19 began decimating staffing levels at long-term care facilities nationwide, the health care sector hardest hit by the pandemic is beginning to see employment numbers rise. Leaders at local senior facilities say they have bolstered their staffs over the last year but still must rely on nursing agencies to fill many positions — an expensive solution. “I’d say the biggest challenge during the pandemic was with recruiting and retaining nursing assistants and medical technicians,” said Phil Golden, executive director and principal at Springwell in Baltimore’s Mount Washington neighborhood. “The team here did band together and we made it through, but it was definitely a challenge.”
