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All staff in Massachusetts nursing homes, assisted living and hospice programs, and home care workers who provide direct home care are expected to be vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next two months in the part of an expanded mandate introduced Wednesday by the administration of Governor Charlie Baker.
The administration has announced that it will seek to expand a existing vaccination requirement on some long-term care workers to include many more caregivers in hundreds of facilities in a bid to “protect the elderly from COVID-19”, which continues to spread even as more and more people get vaccinated.
Officials said the proposed mandate, which has garnered praise from relevant industry leaders, would apply to workers directly employed by the facilities and to contractors who regularly enter the facilities. Sixty-two independent nursing homes, 85 palliative care programs and 268 assisted living facilities would fall under the new mandate.
The policy is subject to approval by the Public Health Council, which has a meeting scheduled for September 8. The council agreed to many of the pandemic-related proposals presented by the governor.
According to the Baker administration, up to 100,000 home care workers will also need to comply with the expanded requirement. This includes people providing direct home care employed by an agency contracted out or contracted out by the state, and it also applies to self-employed and non-agency home care workers under contract with the state, such as personal care attendants in the MassHealth program.
Affected caregivers must be vaccinated by Oct. 31, unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption, under the proposal.
Tara Gregorio, president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association which represents long-term care facilities covered by the original mandate and assisted living facilities added in the expanded version, applauded Governor Baker and his administration for the updated policy.
“The governor’s action today, further expanding the Covid-19 vaccination mandate to include all elderly care workers, is of critical importance to ensuring the safety and well-being of citizens through the Commonwealth, including the residents of our vulnerable skilled nursing facilities and dedicated staff, ”Gregorio said in a statement. “The governor’s announcement will create parity, transparency and accountability across the healthcare system, ultimately benefiting consumers and their caregivers. “
Gregorio added that more than a dozen other states have adopted similar mandates. She also said that a survey of 1,000 registered voters that GS Strategies conducted in May for MSCA found that 72% of voters “overwhelmingly supported a statewide mandate for all employees in the health are vaccinated against COVID-19 “.
New mandate builds on public health order Acting Department of Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke published last month requiring long-term care workers in skilled nursing facilities and soldiers’ homes – who care for the elderly who face higher risks of serious illness and death from COVID-19 – to be get fully immunized by October 10.
Many hospitals also require their staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Parts of the healthcare sector, such as rehab centers, fall outside of the Baker administration’s original long-term care vaccination mandate or its expanded custodial mandate.
Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association President and CEO Steve Walsh welcomed the expanded tenure on Wednesday, referring to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations caused by the more infectious Delta variant. .
“The threat of COVID-19 has only increased in recent weeks, and it has never been more important that those who treat patients are protected,” Walsh said in a statement. “Thanks to the policies put in place by the state and our providers, community members can take comfort in knowing that they are receiving the safest possible care, whether they are (are) in their local hospital or in other areas. ‘other care facilities on which they depend for their health and well-being. “
Baker last month also issued a vaccination mandate for approximately 42,000 executive employees. Those who do not get the vaccine or get a medical or religious exemption by October 17 could face consequences, including dismissal.
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