AARP Applauds Administration Requirement for Vaccinations in Nursing Homes

WASHINGTON—AARP released the following statement from Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer in response to the Biden Administration directing all nursing homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds to require vaccinations for all staff:

“The Administration’s announcement today requiring vaccinations for nursing home staff is a significant step in the fight against this pandemic. Around 30% of COVID deaths have been among residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, even though they represent less than 1% of the population. As the new variants are emerging, facilities cannot let preventable problems be repeated. Increasing vaccination rates in nursing homes is one of the most common sense and powerful actions we can take to protect the lives of vulnerable older adults.”

Last week, AARP issued a statement calling for the requirement of vaccinations in nursing homes as an important measure to save lives.

AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard analyzes federally reported data about COVID cases in nursing homes by state. Data released last week showed that cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise among nursing home residents and staff, having increased 50% among residents and 60% among staff from July 12-18, compared to the preceding week.

The latest AARP Nursing Home Dashboard report found only 8.7% of long-term care facilities in Michigan have at least 75% of staff vaccinated, which is the industry benchmark. The report also found 80% of residents and 51% of staff have been vaccinated.

The AARP Public Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio, created the dashboard to provide snapshots of the virus’ infiltration into nursing homes and impact on nursing home residents and staff, with the goal of identifying specific areas of concern at the national and state levels in a timely manner.

The full Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard is available at www.aarp.org/nursinghomedashboard. For more information on how COVID is impacting nursing homes and AARP’s advocacy on this issue, visit www.aarp.org/nursinghomes.