Centurion Health Launches Elite Internal Travel Team, the Centurion Eagles, to Combat Nationwide Healthcare Staffing Shortages

STERLING, Va., Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Centurion Health, the national leading provider of healthcare services to state correctional agencies, announces the launch of the Centurion Eagles, a specialized team of traveling healthcare professionals comprised of Centurion-trained correctional nurses. This groundbreaking program aims to address the challenges on state correctional systems posed by nationwide staffing shortages of healthcare professionals, particularly nursing professionals.

The Eagles program was initially piloted in the spring of 2022 and was overwhelmingly well received.  The program has since expanded to include Registered and Licensed Practical Nurses with special skills and training in correctional healthcare who travel to assigned locations that have been hardest hit by local staffing shortages. Recognizing the amplified impact of nursing shortages on correctional systems and other public agencies during and after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Centurion subsequently introduced the program to correctional systems in Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Tennessee. The company looks to continue expanding the program to include more locations and other healthcare disciplines in high demand to underserved areas of the country.

This program solves for the problem of using high-cost and often unreliable traditional temporary staff who often lack experience in corrections.  As the scarcity of nurses and other healthcare professionals persists, along with the rising desire among healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, to work alternative work schedules and travel assignments, this program is proving to be attractive to healthcare professionals. "This program invests resources that used to flow to outside entities into building our own teams within the Centurion family we call 'Team Centurion'", stated Gina Morris, Centurion's Senior Vice President of Recruiting. "We embarked on a thorough investigation of travel nurses' preferences and changes in the broader workforce of healthcare professionals to fill a new void post COVID".

The Eagles program overcomes significant shortcomings in existing travel and temporary staffing programs where candidates are brokered to various end users, usually the highest bidder.  Centurion's Eagles program identifies candidates with a strong desire to serve the special needs of incarcerated persons and hires them as employees of the company to serve alongside fellow employees at the local level of correctional facilities across the country. "Our Eagles nurses are more than just temporary hires; they are dedicated correctional nurses who embody our mission of providing exceptional care to patients with complex needs in challenging settings. Through this innovative program, we are able to attract talent from markets beyond our contracts to unlock a new and valuable candidate pool for Centurion," said Amy Hanstein-Smith, Centurion's Lead Recruiter for the Eagles Program.

The program affords many benefits to participating staff, including attractive features traditionally associated with travel nursing, such as higher compensation, travel stipends, and the opportunity to work in diverse healthcare facilities across the country. Centurion Eagles enjoy the reassurance of ongoing employment within a strong, stable healthcare organization, while receiving competitive pay, benefits, and other rewards not typically offered by traditional temp agencies.  "I feel connected to Centurion's mission and values to deliver care that goes beyond patient care in serving incarcerated persons so they successfully transition back to the community after incarceration", said a current Centurion Eagle Registered Nurse.

Since its inception, the Centurion Eagles program has witnessed the promotion of its associates to take permanent on-site leadership positions after serving as an Eagle team member at the facility. Centurion anticipates this trend will continue as the program continues to fill staffing needs and offer invaluable experience to participants across a wide range of correctional facilities and programs. One company operations director attested to the program's efficacy, referring to it as a "lifesaver." Early results from the Eagles program shows that it is a win-win for the correctional facilities, the medical teams, the patients, and the staff participating in the program. 

About Centurion Health

Centurion Health is a leading national provider of healthcare and behavioral health services to incarcerated populations and judicially-involved individuals. Centurion is committed to improving the health of its patients and communities through compassionate care and innovative health solutions that go beyond patient care.

For more information on Centurion Health, please visit TeamCenturion.com.

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SOURCE Centurion Health