A brand new look at the stunningly low number of staff members vaccinated against COVID-19 inside Michigan’s nursing homes. Numbers indicate that six out of 10 nursing homes have under-vaccinated staff caring for our most vulnerable loved ones.
There isn’t a COVID vaccine mandate right now, but being fully vaccinated is considered a best practice, especially while working around potentially weaker patients.
Those facilities saw a mass exodus of staff during the pandemic, and it’s brought up a difficult choice: Force staff to get vaccinated and risk losing them or allow them to put patients at risk while still providing care.
Nursing homes and long-term care center staff vaccinations are at shockingly low levels, according to a Local 4 analysis of federal numbers.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services numbers taken last month show the state’s 430 care facilities listed fewer than 40% had staff that completed their first two doses at a rate that would create herd immunity and, even more stunningly, there were only two facilities that had staff entirely up to date on vaccines at herd immunity levels.
Those numbers come as reports have shown Michigan nursing homes received the most vaccine mandate violations for unvaccinated staff during the pandemic, and Michigan hospitals received the third most violations.
In a statement, the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program that steps in when nursing homes abuse seniors said they have serious worries about the lack of vaccinations saying:
“So many residents were willing and able to be vaccinated, and we hope that we do not continue to see outbreaks of COVID in nursing homes and other long-term care settings for which residents have no control.”
But care facilities say they need help more than they need vaccinated staff. Wendy Jones with Next Steps 4 Seniors helps place seniors in care centers. She says she’s seen both sides.
“I’m worried about having enough caregivers in the hospitals and the rehabs,” said Jones. “These are the areas that we’re struggling the most right now.”
Local 4 also contacted the Michigan Nurses Association and the Health Care Association of Michigan, which represents nursing homes, but both groups were unavailable to comment on Wednesday (March 8).
