By Chris Miller, Assistant Editor, Facility Market

The Pennsylvania Department of Health now expects all of the state’s nursing homes to have at least 80 percent of staff vaccinated by Oct. 1, according to ABC. Facilities that do not achieve this goal will have to test their staff more frequently and will lose funding. The announcement only applies to skilled nursing facilities.

The department said currently 12.5 percent of skilled nursing facilities have at least 80 percent of their staff vaccinated but that this proportion is not enough to prevent future outbreaks. 13,000 nursing home deaths have been traced to coronavirus statewide. The mandate’s goal is to increase the rate of vaccination, make sure testing is occurring frequently in areas where transmission is high and vaccination is low, and improve transparency for the public on vaccinations in nursing home facilities.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) warns that the mandate increasing testing and decreasing funding for facilities with insufficient staff COVID-19 vaccinations could hurt more than help, according to the Reading Eagle. The PHCA argues that compelling nurses at assisted living facilities might make hiring and keeping employees even more difficult. It fears that the new rule will drive these nurses to doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities.

Nursing shortages due to burnout from the pandemic among other factors have forced some facilities to temporarily close admissions. The PHCA supports vaccinations, but not through penalization.

The PHCA also has an issue with the fact that the mandate targets skilled nursing facilities and not all healthcare workers. The group did not receive any notice of the mandate and therefore was not able to have any input on its details. In response, the department used Chester County-based Genesis HealthCare recently announcing it would require vaccinations for its staff as part of its reasoning for the mandate. The department also pointed to LeadingAge PA, another advocacy group representing hundreds of nonprofit skilled nursing facilities in the state, doing the same thing to support its reasoning.