Due to a shortage of nurses, the Jefferson County Health Department will be closing the High Ridge and Arnold offices on select Fridays in November.
Director Kelley Vollmar said the High Ridge office, 5684 Hwy. PP, will be closed this Friday, Nov. 1, as well as Nov. 8. She said the Arnold office, 1818 Lonedell Road, will be closed Nov. 22.
“We don't have enough floor nurses to have full staffing at each of the office locations,” she said.
Vollmar said the Hillsboro office, 405 Main Street, will not be closing, so at least two offices will be open on Fridays in November.
Vollmar said Friday tends to be the slowest day of the week, with an average of 20 clients on Fridays at the Arnold office and 14 at the High Ridge office.
“We want to impact the schedule as least as possible,” she said.
Vollmar said the Health Department is looking to hire two nurses to help remedy the shortage.
“Our goal is to have the positions filled and in place before the December schedule (for nurses is set),” she said.
Vollmar said she hopes all the offices will be open Monday through Friday in December.
She said between the three locations, the Health Department currently has six nurses.
Vollmar said she likes to have at least one nurse and one registered medical assistant at every office.
“It depends on the services being provided that day,” she said.
Vollmar said some services, like family planning, require more nurses on hand.
She said the Health Department had no problem staffing the offices in October.
Vollmar said the shortage for Novembers is partly due to staff vacations and scheduled time off.
“It’s just kind of the perfect storm of not having enough people and already having some obligations out in our community,” she said.
Vollmar said interviews for nurses are being scheduled for next week.
All three offices will be closed Nov. 28 and 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday, Vollmar added.