Letter to the Editor: Bridgewell CEO responds to staffing constraints

The Lowell Sun recently published an article about the ongoing workforce struggles in the healthcare industry and reported that Bridgewell, a Peabody-based social and human services organization, had more than 300 job openings – a figure taken from another Lowell Sun article written by the same reporter eight months ago.

Currently, the staffing situation at Bridgewell, as with many other human services organizations, is about the same as it was last year – with nearly 300 open positions in cities and towns across the Merrimack Valley and North Shore. Over the past three months, we have started to see a glimmer of hope, with a slight increase in applicants, and new hires finally starting to outpace departures. Unlike many other organizations in the healthcare industry, which has recently seen employee layoffs in the hundreds, Bridgewell is actively hiring in communities across northeastern Massachusetts to meet the needs of those we serve, from people with autism to those battling substance use disorder.