County highlights recruiting gains and readies long-term care job fair as staffing pressures continue

Rockingham County human resources told commissioners on May 7 that hiring has improved over the last year but that ongoing attrition, especially in nursing roles, is slowing recovery.

Autumn, the county HR representative, presented recruitment data showing a jump in licensed nursing assistant (LNA) hires between March and April (from the high 30s to mid-40s) and said several departments are using targeted sponsorships and job fairs to increase application throughput.

Autumn described adjustments to sponsorship levels and timing to manage hiring volume, noting that corrections and nursing tend to follow seasonal recruiting patterns. She said long leave-of-absence rates (12-week leaves) are contributing to short-term backfill needs and the county is using agency staff for those periods.

The county is organizing a long-term care job fair in May; staff noted the previous one had yielded 10 hires in a single day and expressed optimism that focused outreach — including targeting schools for ages 14–17 — could produce summer help for assisted living and nursing-home programs.

Why it matters: staffing shortages in long-term care affect resident care and the county’s ability to reopen closed wings or expand services. Commissioners and HR discussed increased retention efforts, sponsorship programs, and outreach to job fairs and local schools.

Next steps: HR will continue the ad campaign across social platforms, hold the planned job fair, and report back on recruitment outcomes. Commissioners encouraged sharing local job-fair opportunities and supporting outreach to secondary schools and community partners.

The HR briefing followed routine budget and operations updates during the board’s regular meeting.