Massachusetts Mandates Vaccines for Nursing Home Workers

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered on Wednesday that all long-term care staff in the state must be vaccinated by Oct. 10.

Massachusetts appears to be the first state to issue a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for nursing facility workers, according to the state’s long-term care association.

The order received immediate praise from the state’s health care community.

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The Massachusetts Senior Care Association applauded the governor’s decision, stating that it will save lives and aligns with public health goals to achieve herd immunity.

“The Governor’s new state COVID-19 staff vaccination mandate for nursing home staff will save lives, especially since many workers move between jobs frequently or hold two jobs in different health care settings, and it aligns with public health goals to achieve herd immunity,” the association said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Other states have taken a different tone. Montana’s governor signed a bill into law making it illegal for most businesses or organizations to require staff to be vaccinated. In Florida, a similar bill was passed in May banning any business or government entity from requiring proof of vaccination.

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Massachusetts nursing facilities have the sixth highest rate of staff COVID-19 vaccinations of any state in the country, at nearly 75%, according to CMS data.

However, with 34,044 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff of nursing homes as of July 30, the state has seen a five-fold increase in nursing home cases over the past 30 days, according to the order.

The decision comes as the delta variant sweeps across the country.

Senior care advocacy groups LeadingAge, the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and the American Hospital Association have all been pushing for vaccine mandates in recent weeks.

“Vaccine mandates may further challenge providers trying to recruit and retain a qualified workforce,” the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living said in a statement released last week. “We renew our call for state and federal governments to enact solutions to help address these long-standing workforce challenges.”

While some operators have been hesitant to consider a vaccine mandate at their facilities, others, such as Genesis HealthCare, have put policies in place for universal COVID-19 vaccination requirements for its employees, care partners and onsite vendors.

The policy requires that its workers receive the Jansseen vaccine or the first dose of a two-dose mRNA vaccine by Aug. 23, the post-acute provider announced Tuesday.

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