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OBSERVE File Photo Six WCA Home workers have said October 7 will be their last day at the facility.
Fredonia’s WCA home on Temple Street is bracing for the loss of nearly a third of its staff on October 7 due to a New York state mandate that all of its employees must be vaccinated by that date.
In a letter to OBSERVER and a post on Facebook, the assisted living facility notes that with a labor shortage, some of the residents who live there will have to be relocated. “With no other choice, we began the process of preparing exit plans for half of our population”, said Christine Davis Mantai, chair of the WCA Home board. “It is painful and heartbreaking for them and for us. We are working with the Departmental Office for Aging and the State (Department of Health) to conduct this surgery as efficiently as possible and in accordance with all laws protecting the elderly in these situations. For this reason, we decided to alert our families and seek other placements for them in other facilities as soon as we learned about the impact of the vaccination mandate on our staff. “
Mantai said six unvaccinated employees have notified October 7 will be their last day. This will leave the facility – currently the home of 22 seniors – without adequate staff to meet state guidelines to provide care for their needs.
“Playing ‘chicken’ with the state is what we call sitting on our hands and doing nothing in the hope that our workforce crash on October 7 will never happen,” she said. “We cannot play this game and leave our families and residents in the dark without having time to make sensible arrangements to find a place where they can get the care they need. We also cannot risk not following New York State rules and regulations for the operation of our programs. “
Mantai acknowledges that the establishment is the first to release a plan that attempts to deal with the loss of staff. Other communities in the county could follow suit. Currently, the organization is advertising positions with little luck so far.
“Financially, we are stable and able to continue”, she wrote. “What is missing is the person who takes care of the residents individually. The underlying problem that preceded the vaccination mandate is that we cannot find people to hire and take the place of the people who leave. There is a lack of qualified people in our region who will take the jobs we offer. They don’t respond to ads and don’t come to interviews. It’s not at all uncommon for someone to go through all the phases of hiring to get a physical exam and be on the schedule, and then decide not to come to work after all. This hiring crisis has taken hold in our region (all other households will agree) since before the pandemic. “
Mantai said the organization offered employees a health care plan, gave them a “hero’s salary” during the worst of the pandemic and instituted salary increases three times this year. “Nobody earns less than $ 15 an hour here” she said. “Our board of directors has approved a pension benefits program for the first time.
“The results are not encouraging. Our managers work extra night shifts to compensate for people we can’t hire. Our residents are fragile and dependent. Their children are seniors themselves. These are the people who carry the burden of this moment. It’s an overwhelming scenario in every direction you look.
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