Worker vaccines low at some nursing homes

Owners may back statewide mandate for vaccinations

Amid rising COVID-19 public infection rates, the low rate of vaccinations among workers at nursing homes is raising concerns about a potential resurgence of the virus among vulnerable residents and prompting calls for mandated inoculations.

While 80% of residents of long-term care facilities in Illinois have been vaccinated, only 60% of workers have, according to federal data.

“Unvaccinated workers are at very high risk for getting infected and spreading it,” said Dr. Robert Murphy, infectious disease specialist at Northwest Medicine. “If an older person gets infected, the consequences can be severe. That’s why nursing homeowners have to step up and mandate that workers get vaccinated. We don’t want to put residents at risk again.”

Like many hospitals and health systems, some nursing homes are requiring employees to get vaccinated. Industry giants Brookdale Senior Living and Genesis Healthcare Inc., and some downstate facilities have announced mandates.

The Illinois Health Care Association, which represents about 485 facilities, would support a statewide mandate, Executive Director Matt Hartman said.

Nursing home operators worry that if they order their staff members to get shots, some will quit and simply work elsewhere, so they would prefer having a standard for everyone to follow.

“The numbers have more or less plateaued with workers, and that gives us a lot of concern,” Hartman said. “If the governor issued a mandate, we would stand with him to make sure it was implemented expeditiously.”

The virus ran rampant through nursing homes when it began spreading widely early in 2020. At one point, residents made up more than 60% of COVID-related deaths in the state. Vaccinations cut infections drastically, and that percentage fell as low as 7% this spring.

Despite that effectiveness, a small percentage of those vaccinated may still get ill. While overall deaths remain relatively low, recent increases spiked the share of nursing home deaths back up to 34% in July.

In west suburban Carol Stream, Covenant Living Windsor Park reported 44 cases recently in its independent living area, where residents more often go out in public. Seven cases were active, and most were asymptomatic. The home is offering voluntary vaccinations to any residents or staff who need it, and issued a statement saying, “The health and safety of our residents and employees remains our highest priority.”

Gina Osterkorn, whose 94-year-old mother lives in Windsor Park, said her mom has gotten her shots and mostly stays at home to avoid exposure. She’s glad the home closed its dining room and grill and temporarily prohibited visitors but wishes that more workers would get vaccinated.

Many nursing home workers are Black and Latino, groups that have had lower rates of vaccinations, in part due to health care disparities and past mistreatment, while rural whites have also expressed distrust of the shots, heightened by politicization and disinformation, Hartman noted.

Connecticut and Massachusetts have issued vaccine mandates for long-term care staffers, and California has done so for all health workers.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week ordered that workers get vaccinated by Oct. 4 at state-run congregate facilities including nursing homes and developmental centers. Unions were being notified of the plan.

Some union members, including health care workers, teachers or prison guards, have opposed vaccine mandates. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police opposes vaccines being forced on law enforcement workers.

SEIU Healthcare Illinois, which represents many nursing home workers and has promoted voluntary vaccinations, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Polls have shown that Republicans tend to oppose mandatory vaccinations, while Democrats typically support them.

The governor did not extend the order to privately owned facilities, but urged them to require the vaccine for employees “to protect the vulnerable residents they serve.”

Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said vaccination is “critical” for longterm care staff, since older people with prior medical conditions are most at risk of severe illness.

“People who are choosing not to be vaccinated are causing another surge and putting all of us at risk,” she said.

Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike has spoken at numerous town meetings, including one specifically for nursing home staff, to address any concerns about the vaccine.

Adding pressure to the effort, the state also recently began posting online statistics to inform consumers about vaccination rates at nursing homes. Chicago-area nursing homes generally have higher rates of worker vaccinations, but some, particularly south and west, have very low rates.

At City View Multicare Center in Cicero, for instance, which had at least 249 cases and 15 deaths related to COVID, only 28% of the workers have been vaccinated. City View didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Symphony at 87th Street in Chicago had a 6% staff vaccination rate, while some downstate homes are in the single digits, or haven’t reported any data.

Nationally, while roughly comparable numbers of nursing home residents and workers have gotten COVID, residents have died at more than 60 times the rate of workers.

Nursing home workers do crucial, difficult work, and the leading organization for the elderly is asking that staff members talk to health care providers to ask what is right medically for them.

“Our most vulnerable population is our residents in nursing homes,” AARP Associate State Director Lori Hendren said. “Now again they’re in harm’s way. Definitely, the vaccine is how we get out of this.”