WEST GROVE, PA — A Chester County family’s joy at the birth of their twin boys has been tempered by the challenge of finding skilled in-home nursing care for one of their newborns. Oliver and Tate, born prematurely at 33 weeks on June 9, have had different health journeys. While Oliver was able to come home in mid-July, Tate has faced further complications due to a rare genetic disorder called PURA syndrome.
Tate, who recently received a tracheostomy to aid his breathing, is now cleared to go home from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). His parents, Elizabeth and Greg, are eager to embrace the challenges and joys of newborn parenthood. However, they face a significant obstacle: the lack of in-home nurses available to care for Tate, particularly during overnight shifts.
Local home care provider BAYADA Home Health Care can offer some of the prescribed round-the-clock skilled nursing care that Tate needs, but they struggle to find available nurses for all his required shifts. The issue, according to Bradley Needham, director of BAYADA’s Downingtown office, lies in the competition with hospitals and nursing homes that can provide more competitive wages for nurses.
“Home care providers struggle to compete… We rely on the State for funding, and that funding isn’t adjusted regularly, so it falls behind,” explains Needham. “Nurses are attracted to facilities where they can earn more in wages. We are doing everything we can to get baby Tate home with his family.”
The Lamberts are not alone in this predicament. Many families face similar struggles when they cannot access the necessary care to bring and keep their loved ones at home. Elizabeth and Greg have been traveling to Philadelphia nearly every day for training on Tate’s condition and ongoing care needs. Along with BAYADA, they are actively searching for nurses willing to take on Tate’s case.
“No one wants to spend the holidays in the hospital,” says Elizabeth. “We are hoping to get Tate home in time to spend his first Christmas with his twin brother.”
This situation underscores the urgent need for increased state funding for home care providers, which would enable them to offer competitive wages and attract more skilled nurses. This would not only benefit the providers but also families like the Lamberts who desperately need their services.
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