Westmoreland County is upping the ante to hire nurses.

With nearly three dozen openings at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield, officials said increased signing bonuses will be paid to new hires during the final five months of this year. They will receive up to $6,000 in addition to their salaries as an incentive to beef up the facility’s employee roster of nurses.

While not at crisis levels, the Manor — like other health care facilities — has struggled to fill vacant positions and keep its staffing at required levels, officials said.

“We’re having a hard time retaining new staff. We’re able to maintain our (required) numbers, but we want to be able to retain staff,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said.

Signing bonuses will increase starting Aug. 1 and will be paid out incrementally over two years. Newly hired nurses will receive their first bonus payment of $2,000 after 45 days on the job with additional installments paid after six and nine months and the last payment after they complete their second year on staff.

Commissioners last summer instituted $5,000 signing bonuses for licensed and registered nurses with the first payment withheld until after one full year on the job.

Even with the additional payouts, filling vacant jobs has continued to be an issue and prompted the county to increase the amount of the bonuses and accelerate the payments.

“This isn’t out of line with what we’re seeing with sign-up bonuses around the area,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.

Alexis Bevan, the county’s human resources director, said the county needs to hire 16 registered nurses, nine licensed practical nurses, two registered nursing supervisors, three registered nursing temporarily employees and multiple certified nursing aides.

The nursing aide positions carry a $2,500 signing bonus, according to the county’s revised policy.

Manor officials also will begin paying workers to accept overtime shifts.

Full-time staffers who pick up additional eight-hour shifts will be paid a $100 bonus along with overtime rates. Employees who take on an extra four-hour overtime shift will be paid a $50 bonus.

Nurses, union and dietary staffers are eligible for the shift bonuses.

“Implementing a pick-up bonus is important because it will provide incentive for those that may not generally pick up extra shifts to do so. This will decrease the burden on those that regularly pick up extra, while proving an extra bonus to them for doing so, along with a thank-you for going above and beyond,” Bevan said.

The county paid out more than $744,000 in overtime to Manor nurses last year.

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