KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The Catholic Health Initiatives organization says it has closed a health care unit offering rehabilitation services in a south-central Nebraska city due to a nursing shortage.
CHI Health Good Samaritan has notified the state of the closure of the Transitional Care Unit in Kearney.
Good Samaritan CEO Michael Schnieders says that the unit was a separate, skilled nursing facility providing short-term care to medically complex patients, rehab patients and end-of-life care patients.
Schnieders says the cutback is due to the national nursing shortage. He says the shortage highlights the changing field of health care.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurse is fifth in the list of occupations with the largest projected job openings because of growth and replacement needs.
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