Catholic Charities launches nonprofit staffing agency
St. Jacinta Healthcare Staffing, a new staffing agency for nursing professionals seeking per diem shifts and assignments across the state, has been launched by Catholic Charities New Hampshire.
The state’s first nonprofit healthcare staffing agency, St. Jacinta, is designed as a response to the increasing cost of care — particularly the growing expenses from relying on external agencies to fill staffing needs — among the seven skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes in the Catholic Charities network, said Tracey Lane, executive director of the new agency.
“There is a perfect storm hovering over New Hampshire skilled nursing facilities,” said Lane. “Not only are they staring down a barrel of unfavorable reimbursement rates, deficits and negative margins, but the staffing dynamics are also shifting statewide. Among the shrinking talent pool, more nursing professionals are opting for higher flexibility and pay through staffing agencies, versus traditional direct-hire roles. For nursing homes, this means more variability and uncertainty in aligning their staff with resident and patient demand.”
But since the staffing agencies have been for-profit entities, said Lane, “every time you fill a shift with agency staff, a significant piece of that cost goes back to the employer agency. These costs continue to add up, and over time, they will no longer be practical or sustainable.”
She called setting up St. Jacinta “our proactive solution to the problem.”
St. Jacinta offers per diem shifts and assignments for licensed nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and other healthcare positions at the seven facilities, which are located in Manchester, Laconia, Dover, Berlin and Windham.
Lane’s background includes her most recent role as a talent acquisition partner for the Partnership for Successful Living in Nashua, overseeing the recruitment of medical and social services positions along with employee relations for the nonprofit collaborative.
