Genesis Healthcare, which has around 70,000 employees in nearly 400 nursing homes across the country, has officially announced that its employees must get vaccinated in order to keep their jobs. Source.
This announcement may come as a surprise, especially since there has been a continued fear that forcing workers to get vaccinated would result in many people quitting their jobs in an industry that is already understaffed. However, with the rising spread of the Delta variant, Genesis Healthcare has decided to require all employees to become vaccinated.
Some experts have been pushing for mandatory vaccinations for nursing home staff for quite some time, arguing that unvaccinated staff members are putting nursing home residents at an even greater risk of contracting the virus. Even with nursing home residents getting vaccinated, they are still at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to weaker immune systems.
With Genesis Healthcare taking the first step in requiring all employees to become vaccinated, experts are predicting a snowball effect with others in the industry.
With so many people choosing not to get vaccinated, it will be interesting to see how this new requirement from Genesis Healthcare affects employment in nursing homes. In an industry that is already facing understaffing, it will be difficult for nursing homes to meet the needs of all of their residents if more staff members choose to quit instead of getting vaccinated.
At Beltz & Beltz, our personal injury attorneys represent the victims of nursing home abuse. If you find that your loved one is suffering in a nursing home, contact our office.
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