Nursing homes may soon have to accept losing staff who are reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine or let go of federal funding.
With the White House’s previous announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be releasing regulations compelling nursing homes to require workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, nursing homes may also soon face another hurdle of keeping their staff. With less staff, residents may be at risk of receiving less attention and care. But the policy may also mean better protection of the elderly residents against the virus.
The rule "has the potential to really change the narrative that's been ongoing in nursing homes, where we've seen staff quite hesitant to get vaccinated,” David Grabowski, a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School, told The Hill. “This is an opportunity to really press reset and actually see high rates of vaccination."
Across the country, only about 62% of nursing homes or long-term-care facility staff are fully or partially vaccinated, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Hill reported.
Some states have already mandated vaccines for all health workers. Some nursing homes and health systems have vaccine mandates in place for staff, but it is definitely not a common practice across all nursing homes.
Health experts say a vaccine requirement could go a long way toward protecting residents and stopping outbreaks, according to The Hill.
