Workforce

This week's top stories include SCOTUS blocking a vaccine mandate for employees of large companies, yet upholding another one for facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid funding, and digital medicine platform Akili plans to go public through merging with SPAC Social Capital Suvretta.

The AHA is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports of anticompetitive pricing by nurse-staffing agencies. 

Hospital leaders on Tuesday will discuss the ongoing toll of COVID-19 on hospitals as the pandemic enters its third year.

<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="color:black">This week's top stories include an alert from federal agencies about </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Russian state-sponsored cyber operations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, including healthcare organizations, and Massachusetts emergency orders released in response to critical staffing shortages in healthcare. </span></span></p>

The lack of adequate safeguards, highlighted by employee complaints, were found primarily in the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

Forty-five organizations are getting the American Rescue Plan funds over three years.

Yesterday, 1,900 Americans died from COVID-19, says HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, in announcing $103 million for healthcare workforce.

A critical staffing shortage has contributed to the loss of about 700 medical/surgical and ICU hospital beds since the beginning of 2021.

At 81% approval from the public, nurses far outperform even the second-place profession, medical doctors, who grabbed a 67% rating.

The Justices upheld mandates for healthcare workers but say OSHA standards overstepped federal power.