Since 2017, Mitchell County has more than met the goal of  1,500 or fewer people per clinician. 

To improve our patient-to-clinician ratios and enhance care, several local healthcare facilities implemented strategies like hiring more staff, optimizing existing staff through cross-training and flexible scheduling, and leveraging technology to streamline tasks and improve efficiency. 

Recruitment of additional staff, including nurses, medical assistants, and other support personnel, to address staffing shortages is being addressed in the locally owned clinics.   

Training staff to perform in multiple roles, allowing for greater flexibility and coverage across different departments is taking place in our hospital-owned clinics. 

Strategic planning of flexible scheduling practices on patient census and acuity, to match staffing levels to actual needs is also being taken into consideration.  

The hospital clinics started using temporary healthcare personnel from specialized agencies to fill open shifts, support census surges, and cover leaves so the clinic does not stop because staff is out. 

Implement strategies to improve staff retention, as a stable workforce is crucial for consistent care delivery, and clinics are looking at salary studies and compensation efforts are underway. 

Technology advancements is a huge part of the solution, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and data-driven scheduling platforms, to streamline workflows and improve efficiency, helps tremendously. 

Since COVID, the medical profession has learn to foster team-based care models, where clinicians work collaboratively to provide comprehensive care, potentially allowing physicians to focus on more complex cases. 

During and after COVID, seems the profession was different and allowed staff to take on tasks that can be delegated, freeing up clinicians to focus on patient care ; enhancing communication and collaboration among team members to ensure smooth workflows and reduce errors. 

In this same time, providers were building relationships with patients by encouraging patient self-management and provided resources for patients to take an active role in their care, potentially reducing the need for frequent visits.

It is a great feeling to know we live in a community where the medical community has come together to make these changes together to be better and serve the residents to the best of their capacity and ability.