Westmoreland Manor vaccine mandate on hold as nearly a third of staff remains unprotected

More than a third of employees at Westmoreland Manor will remain on the job without coronavirus vaccinations after the county last week deferred a vaccine mandate following a federal appeals court ruling that temporarily halted the requirement.

Manor administrator Abby Testa said Friday that just 64% of the more than 400 workers at the 408-bed county-owned nursing home in Hempfield are vaccinated.

A federal district court in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction on Nov. 30 that temporarily enjoined the implementation of the vaccinate mandate issued by the federal government earlier this year for staff in health care facilities that receive federal funding. The Biden administration threatened to pull federal funding for facilities that did not impose a vaccine mandate for staff.

Westmoreland Manor is waiting further guidance based on the outcome of the ongoing litigation, Testa said.

“In the event that (the Center for Medicare and Medicaid) would be permitted to proceed with the mandate, the Manor would need to evaluate its obligations and that of its staff in light of the requirements of the permitted mandate. Until such time as a mandate is allowed to proceed, the Manor would be unable to comment further,” Testa wrote in an email.

Westmoreland County officials ordered Manor staffers to receive at least the first vaccine dose by Dec. 5 and a second-dose by Dec. 26.

An email sent out to staff earlier this week confirmed the mandate is on hold but that vaccines for employees will still be administered by a local pharmacy and available on site at the facility.

“We encourage you to complete your vaccine series and schedule your booster if due,” according to the email.

Without the mandate, more tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for the Manor could be in jeopardy.

Westmoreland Manor relies on Medicare and Medicaid payments as its primary source of revenue. That funding stream accounts for about 95% of the facility’s revenues, which according to the 2021 budget is expected to be more than $48.5 million this year. The Manor generated more than $52 million in revenues in 2020.

Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew said Friday he was opposed to the mandate at the Manor.

“I’m very pleased to see the courts stopping these mandates while they hear arguments on both sides, and I fully support Westmoreland County joining these lawsuits or submitting their own complaint. I will not support any mandates coming from Westmoreland County government,” Chew said.

Vaccine mandates have not been issued for any other employees within county government and officials have not tracked the number of staffers who have received the inoculations for coronavirus.

Chew said the Manor mandate could significantly hinder the facility’s ability to care for residents and further impact staffing levels that have plagued the facility for the last several years.

“These healthcare staff worked tirelessly since March 2020, and many likely have some level of natural immunity. They have become skilled at wearing PPE. Why do the feds want to cause a further deterioration in healthcare with vaccines that are being shown more and more not to be very efficacious after six months? I don’t see the logic here, not in today’s environment with today’s vaccines. Westmoreland Manor will be prepared to maintain our full level of care for our loved ones, no matter what,” Chew said.