Research Shows COVID-19 Vaccine Enforcement for Nursing Home Personnel is Successful
In a recent study published in the JAMA Health Forum, a research team led by Brian McGarry, P.T., Ph.D., an assistant professor of Medicine in Geriatrics and Aging, found no significant increases in reported staff shortages in nursing homes associated with vaccine mandates.
The study, which included members from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the University of California Los Angeles, Hebrew Senior Life in Boston, and the Brown University School of Public Health, aimed to understand the impact of state-level COVID-19 vaccine mandates on vaccination rates and staffing levels in nursing homes.
The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging and examined data from the CMS COVID-19 Nursing Home Public File. The study included data from nursing homes in 38 states, and the sample was diverse, including nursing homes in states with no vaccine mandate, states with a mandate that included a test-out option, and states with a mandate that did not include a test-out option.
The study found that the mandates were associated with increased vaccination rates among nursing home staff. In states with a mandate that included a test-out option, nursing homes had a 3.1 percentage point increase in staff vaccination coverage during the same period. In states with a mandate and no test-out option, nursing homes saw a 6.9 percentage point increase in staff vaccination coverage over a period of at least 10 weeks ending in November 2021.
Interestingly, the effects of the mandates were larger in Republican-leaning counties. In Republican-leaning counties, nursing homes in states with a mandate and no test-out option saw a 14.3 percentage point increase in vaccination coverage compared to similar counties in non-mandate states.
However, the study did not find an association between the mandates and increased reports of staffing shortages. Non-mandate states had consistently lower vaccination coverage and higher rates of reported staff shortages during the same period.
The research team is continuing to evaluate the impact of vaccine mandates, looking more deeply into the impact of state and federal mandates on staffing levels by analyzing payroll-level data. They are also watching the impact of booster doses on vaccination rates and staffing levels in nursing homes.
This study provides valuable insights into the impact of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on nursing homes, offering a foundation for future research and policy decisions. As the pandemic continues to evolve, understanding the effects of vaccine mandates on staff vaccination rates and staffing levels is crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of nursing home residents.
