Nursing homes may soon be reopened by visitors | Local News

However, Thursday’s email stated that a “quick test” for all residents was completed on Wednesday and that everything was negative. PCR tests for all staff were conducted on Thursday and samples were sent to the lab. Another test round will take place next Tuesday.

“If the results of this week’s test and next week’s test are negative, visitors can resume,” the post said. “This can happen as early as Friday, September 10th.”

Meanwhile, county officials are preparing for a shortage of nursing homes due to federal vaccine obligations. The White House announced on August 18 that the US Department of Health and Human Services will require medical facilities to fully vaccinate workers with COVID in order to maintain funding for Medicare and Medicaid.

On Thursday, Time magazine published an article, “The obligation of the Nursing Home COVID-19 vaccine protects the most vulnerable, but poses a hidden threat to residents.”

We interviewed staff at the Wolfeboro Bay Center at Genesis Healthcare, one of the 250 centers that Genesis operates in 23 states. According to TIME, just before the Biden administration announced that nursing home staff needed to be vaccinated, Genesis established its own vaccination obligations, with some staff resigning.

“Some of the people who left are Ashley Rankt, a 25-year-old licensed nursing assistant (LNA) at the Genesis-operated Wolfeboro Bay Center in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire,” TIME reported.

“She and other current and former Wolfeboro Bay employees often told TIME that the facility was often understaffed and unable to provide adequate care to the population. “

A Genesis spokesperson said Time Genesis was doing what it needed to keep the inhabitants safe and was suspended from entering Wolfeboro. No residents or staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a spokeswoman.

TIME Report: “Nine months after the US vaccination campaign, about 39% of US nursing home staff remain unvaccinated.”

This is a situation that County Commissioner Matthew Plush (R-Wolfeboro) has not downplayed. Last week he enthusiastically talked about how vaccination obligations cause mountain view staff shortages and insult basic freedoms.

“In essence, we will start medical apartheid,” Splash said.

Dee Brown, mountain view community administrator, said the vaccination mandate could come into effect in October.

The nursing home has about 186 employees, while the facility should have about 195 employees. According to Brown, 51 of the employees in the various departments of Mountain View have not been vaccinated. She believes she can lose up to 40 percent of unvaccinated employees.

“This is not something that can be easily handled at our facility or nursing home facility,” says Brown.

When asked about this looming staff crisis, the commissioner gave a variety of answers. Chairman Terry McCarthy (R-Conway) said she was out of the loop because she had been absent for the past two weeks. “We will have a meeting with the manager of the nursing home and try to understand it,” she said.

Commissioner Kimberly Tessari (R-Oscipy) said the commissioner had already met Brown. She said the issue of federal vaccine missions was beyond the control of the Commission.

“We would suggest that people call their legislators … because they can really make a difference,” Tessari said.

A resident of Ossipy, Dallas Emery, a frank critic of mask and vaccine obligations, urged the Commission to address the obligations and future staff shortages. “As soon as people start losing their jobs, it will be a problem for nursing homes,” Emery said.

Sun contacted members of the federal delegation in Carroll County for comment on the vaccination obligations of health care workers. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) said: Mandate aims to motivate people to do the right thing and to be able to end this pandemic together. “

US Congressman Chris Pappas (DN.H.) said: “The residents and staff of the New Hampshire long-term care facility were hit hard by the pandemic.

“Currently, one vaccine is fully FDA approved and the other is in the pipeline, so vaccine requirements for nursing home staff are appropriate to ensure that the most at-risk people are not at greater risk. That’s what Papas said.

Senator Maggie Hassan said medical facilities have a long history of requiring a variety of immunity to keep patients safe, and the requirements for this vaccine are no exception. She said she has tackled long-standing workforce challenges and will continue to work to obtain medical facilities, including nursing homes, and the resources they need.