TYLER, Texas — Texas sits at the bottom half of the country when it comes to staff vaccination rates in nursing homes.
The battle continues over vaccine mandates in the courts. The reality for nursing homes is they will be able to keep unvaccinated staff members who would have been forced to go under rules by the Biden Administration.
The federal court challenged the deadline for medical workers to receive at least one dose by December 6th.
The vaccine mandate was extended to January 4th, giving more time for facilities to boost their vaccination status.
One organization called Lakeside Health and Wellness, operated by the Texas Healthcare Association, says it requires its employees to get the vaccine.
“As far an organization, we’ve concluded, as of now that we’re still going to require our associates take the vaccine,” said Lee Rivas, Vice President of Operation for ML Healthcare.
The facility says it’s fortunate as to where they stand for the time being.
“So far, we have not lost one associate in our organization. Due to the vaccine mandate, we've been fortunate,” Rivas added.
The Texas Health Care Association President and CEO say the possibility of a statewide shortage is a concern for roughly 400 nursing home facilities they operate.
“We talk to providers on a daily basis that are concerned, they may lose 5 or percent, possibly 15 percent of their staff in a particular community,” said Kevin Warren, President and CEO of Texas Health Care Association.
If the vaccine mandate is approved in the courts the Texas Health Care Association says it’s confident nursing home facilities will be ready for the potential outcomes.
“If and when this mandate goes into effect they’ll be prepared to deal with it because their number one priority is caring fr their patient,” Warren added.
State and federal data showed that, as of late November, Texas nursing homes reported about 72 percent of employees had gotten at least one shot.
To learn more on the battle of the Biden Administration's vaccine mandate click here.