GEORGIA — With President Biden’s administration set to tie nursing home Medicare and Medicaid funding to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for their staff, the president of a statewide trade group tells WSB Radio that he ultimately has just one concern on the new mandate.
Tony Marshall, president of the Georgia Health Care Association, is a firm believer in the evidence behind the COVID-19 vaccine working as intended.
Marshall believes if the mandate doesn’t include other health care sectors, it should include resources that ensure homes can pay a competitive wage to keep staffers from jumping ship.
More than 80% of Georgia’s nursing home residents are paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. Without those vital resources, they could not continue to operate, according to Marshall.
He also reveals to WSB Radio that just under 50% of Georgia’s nursing home workers have received their shots; 75% of residents have. The goal is to get everyone up to at least 75% vaccinated soon.
The organization hopes when the rules are written, long-term care facilities aren’t alone in the mandate—that other health care sectors are included.
Marshall admits that it’s hard to understand why less than half the state’s nursing home workers are vaccinated for COVID-19 but thinks a federal mandate itself is not so bad--but it is if it’s limited only to the nursing home sector.
>>WATCH the full interview with Tony Marshall, president of the Georgia Health Care Association:
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