What does President Biden’s vaccine mandate mean for nursing homes and assisted living centers?

Nearly 17 million workers in nursing homes, hospitals, and other Medicare and Medicaid-funded facilities are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, under a stricter mandate contained in a labor safety agency’s new rules.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency published new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for U.S. workers on Thursday. It tightened the rules for healthcare workers and gave them no option to get weekly tested for the virus instead. You can still request exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

The latest move in the government’s effort to increase vaccination rates in the United States sparked immediate concern among the largest association of senior housing providers.

“While we support the general intent … we are concerned that the execution will exacerbate an already dire long-term care personnel crisis,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living.

Parkinson’s said 75% of nursing home workers nationwide are fully vaccinated. But imposing a tough deadline could ultimately threaten older people’s access to long-term care because it is likely to “push too many”. [workers] out the door, ”he said.

“Even a small percentage of employees who quit because of this mandate would have a catastrophic impact on vulnerable seniors who require 24-hour care,” said Parkinson. “Access to long-term care is tightened across the country as providers have no choice but to limit admission or even close their doors due to staff shortages.”

Of the workers laid off for vaccine refusal this year, the majority – 5,938 – worked in the healthcare sector, according to a report from recruitment firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc., it said 6,843 workers were laid off or left their jobs for vaccine refusal since June.

There are 1,215 care facilities and 2,000 assisted living facilities in Texas, according to data from the Texas Health Care Association. The workforce in these facilities is a growing concern for operators.

In a survey of its members in September, the association said that 70% of long-term care facilities are unable to recruit enough caregivers. Over 30% of the members stated that they had restricted new admissions due to staff shortages.

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services said they had concluded that nursing homes are facilitating the spread of COVID-19 in the United States

“The prevalence of COVID-19, particularly the Delta variant, in healthcare increases the risk that unvaccinated personnel will become infected with the virus and spread the virus to patients,” said CMS. “The regulation will create a uniform standard across Medicare and Medicaid, while giving patients peace of mind about the vaccination status of carers.

However, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the Delta variant has less of an impact in nursing homes than many other facilities with lower vaccination rates.

The mandate applies to a wide range of health care workers, including those in outpatient surgical centers, hospices, psychiatric inpatient treatment facilities, and home health authorities.

Many of the country’s major hospital systems introduced vaccine mandates long before the new rule came into effect. A Houston hospital system caught national attention in June after more than 150 employees were laid off or fired because of vaccine mandates.

Since then, several north Texas hospital systems have mandated vaccinations for employees months ago.

Fort Worth-based Cook Children’s said 99% of its 8,000 employees had been vaccinated by the September 27 deadline. Of those who did not meet the mandate, 67 resigned and 18 were fired.

Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White, the state’s largest nonprofit hospital system, said 98% of its 40,000+ employees had been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October 1. Dallas-based Children’s Health reported that 99% of its 7,500 employees were vaccinated on the same day.

Dozens of people wait in cars for COVID-19 tests at YesNoCovid in Dallas on Aug. 13.

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