For those who work in nursing homes, the Iowa Health Care Association wants a test-out option added to the federal vaccination mandate. | Adobe Stock
For those who work in nursing homes, the Iowa Health Care Association wants a test-out option added to the federal vaccination mandate. | Adobe Stock
The Iowa Health Care Association wants a test-out option added for those who work in nursing homes, a request that’s at odds with the six-part plan to fight the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic announced by President Joe Biden's administration.
In a statement issued Sept. 13, the association said, “We are deeply concerned that without a test-out option available for those who work in health care settings, the workforce crisis in Iowa’s long-term care centers will worsen and facilities may face closure due to the lack of available staff.”
The administration directed the U.S. Department of Labor to require all companies with more than 100 employees to require vaccines or do weekly testing to their employees, KWWL reported Sept. 10. The new mandate includes test-out options for some industries but is not available to nursing homes.
“While the Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) is encouraged by the Administration’s consideration of feedback from long-term care providers in making its mandate inclusive of other Medicare and Medicaid health care providers, the proposed rule still falls short of workable and more must be done to avert a needless exacerbation of the existing workforce crisis in long-term care,” the statement said.
Iowa nursing homes employ more than 27,000 people, who provide nursing care, according to the association. As of Sept. 18, 53.8% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, and 65.0% of Iowa health care workers are fully vaccinated as of Aug. 22, according to figures from the AARP.
The Iowa Health Care Association said long-term care facilities rely on staff, such as housekeeping, dietary and maintenance to support the medical personnel. The availability of such personnel could be greatly impacted by the nursing home staff vaccination mandate.
“Retaining these critical staff functions in nursing homes will be increasingly difficult without a test-out option for these employees,” the association said in the statement.
The association called for the Biden administration to allow the test-out options for staff members and long-term care facilities and to provide a reasonable time for compliance. It also requested $6 billion in funding to assist providers in dealing with an already difficult workforce shortage.
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