The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) on Wednesday issued a statement indicating the nursing home industry has fallen behind its vaccination goal — 75% of staff vaccinated by June 30.
The current national percentage of vaccinated skilled nursing facility staff is sitting at 58% on average as of June 13, according to data submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Vermont has the highest percentage of vaccinated staff at 76.21% out of listed states, while Louisiana has the lowest at 40.9%.
“Vaccination rates among long term care staff continue to mirror other health care settings and general population rates, especially in certain parts of the country, because there continues to be a large amount of misinformation circulating around these safe and effective vaccines,” Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer of AHCA/NCAL, said in a statement. “Ongoing vaccine education and outreach is critical in protecting our vulnerable population from COVID-19, and we remain focused on sharing credible information through our #GetVaccinated campaign.”
Gifford did say the industry has made “significant progress” toward increasing staff vaccinations, while conceding that reported data suggests more convincing needs to be done.
The Washington, D.C.-based organization represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the United States; more than 15,000 skilled nursing facilities operate in the country, according to the CDC.
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