Kansas officials plan to allocate $50 million in federal COVID-19 aid to boost the salaries of registered nurses and other frontline workers at understaffed hospitals. The program is a response to severe staffing problems in ICUs overwhelmed by the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, which is attributed to the highly infectious delta variant and unvaccinated residents. Funding would be allocated to hospitals based on licensed bed capacity and the number of nurses needed to fill those beds. On average, the program would provide a $5,000 pay increase for each nurse, but hospitals would decide how to divide the funds. The $50 million includes $800,000 for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to administer the program.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
