The Ohio Health Care Association says just over half of the staff in the nursing homes it represents are vaccinated against COVID-19, despite efforts to educate and encourage workers to get the shots. Now, the Biden administration is going to require all nursing homes that receive federal funds to have their workers vaccinated by January 4th.
The Ohio Health Care Association’s Pete Van Runkle fears nursing home workers who haven’t gotten COVID-19 shots might quit their jobs at already short-staffed facilities doing necessary work.
“Long-term care providers are completely strapped for staff but they are not in a position where they can say it will take an hour to get your pizza or we are going to close down the dining room or we are not going to have certain things on the shelves.”
Van Runkle said he thinks some workers might relent, but it’s unclear how many. The number who choose to quit could have a substantial impact, though nationwide the vast majority of workers under vaccine mandates have complied.
Roughly 5,000 Ohioans per day are getting COVID vaccines.
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