So I use the VA for my health care. Ive had several heart surgeries, a hernia surgery, and trwatment for hypertension and the sugar. Neither of which I had before my heart went south. In any case around the time of Obamavare they shut down the emergency room at my VA. Turned it into a 9 to 5 urgent care. If you have an emergency after hours go to the local hospital and they bill the VA. Anyhow....last May during the beginning of the covid they laid off 25% of the nurses in the local public healthcare system...UPMC... Nov. I end up in the local hospital with a heart attack. It was crazy, people in the halls of tge Er and on my ICU floor when i got there waiting for Cath the next morning. Like something off 80s ER tv show. Anyhow, my nurse was a traveling nurse from the nearest big city about 100 miles from us. She was a russian citizen nurse here on a work Visa to work in that city....but they are paying her 4k$ per week to come do 4 12 hour shifts. Or roughly 84$ an hour. And a 4 day work week. She was gorgeous and we talked alot. She didnt scramble around like the local nurses in the hallways and drawing my blood etc because she couldnt really be fired. She was very nice and gave me very good care. The cardio screwed up and said they could not find any blockage....upped my BP meds and gave me slow release Nitro while my heart regen...
Anyhow. It barely worked I could barely get thru the workday and im taking slowbrelease nitro and popping a nitro just to do some of my work or walk any distance....i made it till May...went back with pain but not a heart attack. New younger surgeon found a blckage immediately, opened and stented it and I immediately felt better after 6 months. Anyhow on the May visit the hospital was different. It was a ghost town. Empty hallways. A private room for me all three days. No code blues. No hustle and bustle. Even though our areas covid numbers were still high. My wifes friend is on the covid wing icu so I hear about our cases and numbers, but the main point I wanted to make is they wanted her to work more days per week and more hours at her normal rate of 31$ an hour......but they will pay a traveling non American nurse 84$ an hour temporarily.