VALDOSTA, GA — South Georgia Medical Center has been experiencing low shortage of nurses in their facilities.
Shaknequa Pleas who has been working at South Georgia Medical Center for 12 years says their medical center had always had staffing challenges due to constant growth of the community.
"And the growth of this community I feel like it's added to our population so it adding to the patients we have to take care of so it's imperative that we steady recruit and retain nurses in this area," says Pleas.
Steady recruitment has been an uphill battle with the current nursing shortage across the country and here in South Georgia. In addition to a growing need for more options for healthcare, the South Georgia Medical Center is reopening their emergency facility at Smith North View Hospital.
The hospital says they're hoping to hire up to 100 nurses.
Their center originally closed in 2016 but will now reopen with a need of nurses to help provide quality care.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Dawson says there is always a need for nurses because their center is designed for their staff to excel in their career.
"100 out of the total nurses that we need because there's always a turnover in nursing staff because a lot of the nurses go on and we provide opportunities to advance in their career," says Dr. Brian Dawson
South Georgia plans to also use its partnership with local universities like Valdosta University to hire more nurses in the area this year.
