Detox facilities and behavioral health facilities are becoming increasingly more important as substance abuse rises across the country. According to a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “19.4 percent of people aged 12 or older in 2022 (or 54.6 million people) needed substance use treatment in the past year, but of that population, “about 1 in 4 (24.0 percent or 13.1 million people) received substance use treatment in the past year.”
As a result, treatment centers are striving to maintain full staffing and be prepared to handle any potential surge in patients. Purpose Healing Center Drug and Alcohol Detox is doing just that with Medely, bringing in qualified clinicians to keep care consistent and high-quality.
Purpose Healing Center Drug and Alcohol Detox staffing needs
Sara Richerson, director of nursing at Purpose Healing Center Drug and Alcohol Detox, turned to local registry nurses when trying to fill open shifts at her facility, but after several negative experiences, she was left feeling frustrated with the caliber of nurses she was receiving. On top of the inconsistency with the healthcare professionals, there were also a lot of manual inefficiencies in finding a nurse, including having to directly reach out to agencies in order for them to find a person to fill the shift.
While searching for a better staffing solution, Sara heard from Taylor Kampa, a senior account executive at Medely. She was already familiar with the name, and the outreach sparked her interest. Ready to explore a new approach, Sara decided to give Medely a try.
“I was a little hesitant because I told Taylor before, when you just sign up on a platform, you never know what you’re going to get. And I’ve had some horrible registry nurses come to me lately, so I’ve been super nervous,” Sara shared. “[Medely] has actually been really beneficial to me.”
As Sara started posting more shifts to the Medely platform, she was able to find a few top-quality nurses and health professionals whom she has asked back to her facility. She mentioned Jordan, one of the nurses on her favorites list, and how she’s been able to rely on her consistently for several shifts. “She’s picked up several shifts where I’ll just text her and be like, ‘hey do you want to work?’ I’ll put it in for you. And she’s like ‘yes,’” Sara shared.
How Medely supports continuity of care
Sara needed nurses and health professionals with a specific set of skills to maintain continuity of care at her center. A background in detox was necessary for anybody picking up shifts at her facility, and with previous agencies, she wasn’t getting the skillset she needed. “With what it was like then, I was getting people who were only hospice nurses coming to pick up a shift here. Or I’ve had in the past, they hear rehab, and then I get nurses that work SNF-type rehab. And that’s not what we are,” Sara shared.
With Medely, Sara has been able to specify what experience she needs nurses and health professionals to have. “Taylor set me up with a quick little template,” Sara shared. “I’m glad that there’s this ‘hey, you have to meet this criteria’ for you guys. That’s been beneficial. The people that you’ve sent all seem to know what they’re doing.”
As Sara has been able to find nurses that fit seamlessly into her facility, she knows that she can trust the nurses and health professionals who use Medely the same way she would her team. “I have a handful of PRN nurses, and if somebody calls off, I reach out to my team first. But I need to know that I have high-caliber people that are going to come in when you don’t know them.”
A more satisfied workforce
Now that Sara is finding consistency with posting shifts to Medely, she’s noticed that her full-time staff are feeling more comfortable and settling into a rhythm with Medely nurses and health professionals. “I think the nurses are a little less worried about having a Medely nurse coming in. The last couple have been good, so we’re obviously on the right track. And they know that I try to book the same people over and over again if I can.”
Because of the consistent nurses and health professionals that she’s built up in her favorites pool, Sara has been able to boost team morale and offer more breaks to her employees. “My nurses are worrying less,” Sara shared. “I’m leaving for vacation, and Jordan already picked up two shifts while I was gone. I’m like, ‘hey, my nurses can’t do it. Are you interested? Can I put you in?’ and she’s like, ‘yeah, let’s do it.’”
With quality health professionals and a workforce strategy that supports her facility’s needs, Sara has been able to implement Medely as a reliable staffing solution that allows her facility to function at peak performance. Almost half of the shifts she’s posted have been picked up by one of her favorites, and on average, it takes about five minutes to fill a shift.
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