Board retroactively approves nearly $1 million for supplemental staffing at San Joaquin General

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved a retroactive increase — part of the consent calendar vote on April 8 — to the county's agreement with Bolt Staffing Services to provide supplemental staffing at San Joaquin General Hospital.

Hospital CEO Rick Castro, in an explanatory presentation, said the county has used Bolt since the pandemic to fill entry-level roles such as environmental services and dietary staff. He told the board that competing health systems have moved starting wages into the mid-'twenty-dollar range and that the county's recruitment and retention challenges prompted reliance on supplemental staffing.

Castro said the requested increase covers supplemental staffing through June 30, 2025, and that Bolt employs primarily local workers. He said the hospital has an overarching plan to replace traveling or contract staff with regular county hires, noting progress replacing traveling nurses over the past two years.

Board members expressed support for county efforts to stabilize staffing while asking hospital leaders to continue recruitment and retention strategies. The consent calendar action that included the Bolt staffing increase passed unanimously, 5'—0.

Staff did not present a permanent wage increase for all positions at this meeting; Castro described market pressures and said further county-level compensation considerations would be part of broader personnel strategy discussions.