Staffing problems expected at Westmoreland Manor from federal vaccine mandate
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Westmoreland Manor could have a growing staffing problem before the end of January after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the federally imposed covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers.
Manor administrator Abby Testa said this week that about 77% of staffers at the county-owned nursing home have been vaccinated with a deadline to do so just two weeks away. That includes nurses and support employees.
There are 357 employees at the Manor, said Alexis Bevan, the county’s human resources director.
Health care facilities are required to have 100% compliance with the vaccine mandate or lose federal funding. The Manor, a 408-bed facility in Hempfield, gets 95% of its revenues from federal sources. That approached $50 million in 2021.
County leaders initially set an early December deadline for staff to be vaccinated, but legal challenges to the mandate pushed the compliance date back more than a month. Under the revised dates, workers have until Jan. 27 to receive the first of a two-dose vaccine regimen. Workers must be fully vaccinated by Feb. 28.
The additional time improved vaccine compliance levels. County officials reported in early December that 64% of staffers were vaccinated.
The county set a Jan. 19 deadline for employees to file paperwork to seek a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate.
“Exemption requests will be reviewed by a committee which includes legal counsel,” according to a memo issued to employees.
Officials did not respond to questions about the criteria that will be used to issue exemptions from the vaccine mandate.
As of Wednesday, 11 staffers were off work and in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus, Testa said. No residents are infected.
With the mandate in place, county leaders will have to address potential staffing issues that arise should employees be discharged.
“In the event that there would be any staffing shortages, the Manor would rely on staff supplied under contracts that are currently in place with temporary staffing agencies,” Testa said.
County commissioners have for months been vague when addressing the county’s response to the mandate, saying they would wait until a Supreme Court ruling was issued before discussing the impacts it will have on the Manor.
“We’re going to see what the Supreme Court rules, and we’ll see what is the next step,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said earlier Thursday. He did not respond to a request for additional comment later in the day.
Commissioners Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Doug Chew could not be reached for comment.
Staffing issues have plagued Westmoreland Manor for years, but nurse shortages have been magnified since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Private nursing companies were hired to provide additional help when needed. The county also instituted larger signing bonuses for new hires and revised its policies to allow part-timers to work specific shifts.
Manor employees are the only county government staffers working under a vaccine mandate. Commissioners have not imposed vaccine mandates for other employees.