In this file photo, Tammy Hudson, an R.N. unit manager, checks Dolores Burgstahler’s vitals during a stay at Elderwood in Cheektowaga. The company’s new Elderwood Staffing Solutions will build a pool of on-call substitutes who will go through the company’s regular hiring and orientation process

By Tracey Drury
 – Reporter, Buffalo Business First

Elderwood has launched a new staffing division to help identify and recruit nurses and other clinical care professionals for per diem work.

The company’s new Elderwood Staffing Solutions will build a pool of on-call substitutes who will go through the company’s regular hiring and orientation process, allowing facilities to more quickly address staffing gaps with caregivers already familiar with its culture and protocols.

Based at the company’s downtown Buffalo administrative offices, the division will recruit registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants and home health aides in both Western New York and the Syracuse area to start, with a goal of reaching other parts of the state where it owns or is in the midst of acquiring nursing homes and assisted living sites. The company currently has 25 sites in the state and is finalizing several acquisitions, including programs at the Weinberg Campus in Getzville.

Individuals should be able to work a minimum of 30 hours per month and agree to work just one holiday per year. Weekend shifts will not be required but may be available.

Until now, Elderwood has relied on an outside agency to identify and train per diem staffers, but this creates a ready reserve workforce familiar with Elderwood’s policies, said Julie Horton, director of the new division.

“They’ll be trained to our policies and procedures and will have access to logging onto the computer. And they will come in with Elderwood uniforms so they will bring a consistency of care to residents,” she said. “They’ll come in more skilled right in the door to the floor.”

The company said the “float pool” per diem system often appeals to caregivers looking for a flexible work schedule, since individuals can be more selective about the days and shifts they work, with both eight- and 12-hour shifts available. These per diem workers won’t be “attached” to any one building, but geographic preferences will be considered.

Caregivers may also work in their area of specialty with opportunities for career growth and preferred status for internal promotions.