Refusing the Vaccine

Refusals

WAMU reported the problems at SavaSeniorCare’s Brian Center Health & Retirement/Cabarrus nursing home. Poor infection control led to a coronavirus outbreak killing at least 10 residents. The vaccine distribution at the facility has been a failure as well.  Many employees refuse to take the vaccine. The lack of education and training about the vaccine for health care providers is disturbing.

The hesitancy is confusing. Data shows nursing home residents are getting vaccinated at a higher rate than workers. 77.8% of residents got at least one dose of a vaccine, but among staffers the rate was 37.5%.

In North Carolina, the health secretary said more than half of nursing home workers are declining the vaccine. A national survey found that 15% of health care workers said no, with nursing home personnel more likely to refuse than hospital staffers.

Mandate

Some nursing homes require the staff to accept the vaccine as a safety measure for the residents. Sava Senior Care refuses to protect their residents. Instead, Sava fist offered small incentives in their 169 nursing homes in 20 states. They gave gift cards, parties or other incentives. It did not move the needle much. Recently, they attempted education hosting weekly phone calls to staffers, and making Sava doctors and pharmacists available to answer questions.