WCHS talks vaccine mandate

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
On Aug. 19 during the regular board meeting, the Weston County Health Services board of trustees discussed the Biden administration’s announcement that COVID-19 vaccine mandates for nursing home employees could be released next month. And those mandates could mean staffing shortages and a loss of revenue for the county’s health services facilities. 
According to CEO Maureen Cadwell, if employees are not vaccinated, the facility will lose Medicaid funding from the federal government that is needed for operations. Last year alone, the Manor received $3,154,556 in Medicaid monies,
she said. 
But, if vaccines are mandated, the Manor will potentially lose employees who refuse to get the shot. Currently, according to Cadwell, 46.5% or 47% of Manor employees are vaccinated, including those who work in dietary, housekeeping, physical therapy and the pharmacy. 
“If we (WCHS) get this regulation, we are told (to) do this or we don’t get paid,” Cadwell told the News Letter Journal. “We don’t have a choice. We may need to talk about what we do staffing-wise. It is what it is.” 
Board Chairman Connie James said that the facility is “between a rock and a hard place.” 
“It is an extremely complicated situation,” James said. “It is difficult; everyone has their opinion and we understand that totally. If we mandate, we will lose people. … It is a hard
decision to make.”
“Do we need money for the facility? Yes. Do we want to hurt employees? No,” she added. 
With the new regulations expected to come out in mid-September, Cadwell said, Weston County Health Services is actively weighing its options and looking at potential scenarios. 
“Closing, that would be the extreme. If we don’t have the staff to take care of residents appropriately, we are going
to have issues. If we don’t
get paid from Medicaid, we are going to have issues,” Cadwell said. “We could limit
admissions to keep numbers down. … Where are we going to get staff?”
With staffing issues already plaguing the state, Cadwell said, finding people to fill positions vacated by those who refuse to get the vaccine could lead to another issue. 
“It is a hardship, and we are not sure how to handle it. We are talking about options and we are not the only ones,” Cadwell said. “We had a call with the (Wyoming) Department of Health, and every (Wyoming) nursing home is facing these same issues.”
As previously reported, Weston County Health Services already uses traveling certified nursing assistant programs to fill open positions, and as the pandemic continues, this avenue for relief becomes expensive and limited. 
“We are already in trouble, and it is going to get worse. Temp companies are going to charge $680 an hour for a CNA,” Cadwell told the board on Aug. 19. “It is very scary.”
In addition to normal staffing issues, she said, the facility also faces potential shortages for quarantined individuals. Cadwell noted that the facility is dealing with COVID-19 issues in the Manor. 
“We are just trying to do everything we can so they can see their families. That’s probably the saddest part,” Cadwell said. “But if the state walked in tomorrow, we could be fined again if we are not following the rules. There is not a lot we can do about it.”