$14,000 hiring bonuses offered for nurses at state-run mental health hospitals in Colorado

DENVER (KKTV) - The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) is hoping to attract nurses from across the country by offering up large bonuses and other benefits for nurses to work at the state’s two psychiatric hospitals.

The psychiatric hospitals are located in Denver and Pueblo. Click here to see job openings.

“Colorado, along with the nation, is undergoing a nursing shortage that saw a decline of more than 100,000 registered nurses from 2020 to 2021, and is also facing an expected 10% increase in demand for mental health nurses in five years, according to a 2021 report from Mercer,” part of a news release from CDHS reads. “Colorado and 38 other states are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC); under the NLC, nurses can practice in other participating states without having to obtain additional licenses.”

$14,000 bonuses are being offered for nurses in the hiring effort. There are other state-run facilities offering a signing bonus of $7,000

“Many people hear ‘human services’ and think of programs like child welfare and food assistance,” said CDHS Executive Director Michelle Barnes. “While we do provide those services, we are also a healthcare organization. We serve Coloradans every day at our mental health hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities and youth centers.”

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