COVID-19 has brought about countless challenges across the board, though one of the industries hit hardest and rapidly shaken up by the crisis has been healthcare. While many businesses across Rhode Island ceased their in-person operations and allowed their employees to work from home if they could, hundreds of hospitals, congregate care facilities and human service organizations across the State were pushed to their limits.
Skills for Rhode Island’s Future had the opportunity to work with the State in April to quickly develop and roll out a “Dispatching Program” to help support congregate care sites across the State who were, and still are, critically in need of healthcare workers. The program offers increased wages to eligible Certified Nursing Assistants ($25/hour), Licensed Practical Nurses ($40/hour) and Registered Nurses ($55/hour) interested in picking up per diem shifts. Utilizing a user-friendly scheduling app, facilities are able to post shifts they need to fill and healthcare workers are able to claim the shifts that work within their schedule and location.
We’re thrilled to share that earlier this month we exceeded 1,000 shifts claimed through the dispatching app, now approaching 1,100 shifts claimed, offering congregate care facilities the support they need and providing Rhode Island healthcare heroes the increased wages they deserve as they stand on the front lines to help navigate us through this difficult time.
Though this program is temporary in response to the COVID crisis, we are still inviting eligible RNs, LPNs and CNAs to apply for entry into the dispatch program: https://backtowork.skillsforri.com/job-board/for-job-seekers-dispatching.
