More partnerships seem likely between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and aging services organization LeadingAge – both entities looking to their All Hands on Deck Campaign as a future model.
Collaborations to improve staffing issues, burnout and nursing home quality were mentioned by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who joined LeadingAge members during a call on Wednesday.
“Maybe you will want to invite me to go deeper, I certainly want to do that. It’s not just vaccine uptake,” added Becerra. “We’re going to have to tackle them together – we are ready. I think people are seeing the success we had working with you and your members in trying to boost vaccine uptake in the last month and a half, two months. I think we want to build on that success.”
Recent statistics related to the All Hands campaign, which also involved the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), show 63.94% of LeadingAge member nursing home residents are up-to-date as of Friday, meaning they’ve received all initial doses, plus all available booster shots.
Only 48.72% of nursing home residents across the country are up-to-date, according to data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Between Nov. 13, 2022 and Jan, 1 2023, LeadingAge members have seen a 9.20% increase in this up-to-date group, while nationally, that group has only increased by 5.17%, according to the All Hands bivalent booster tracker data.
While the numbers look promising, Becerra said the sector needs to remain vigilant.
Over the last week, about 70% of new daily hospital admissions for Covid-19 were patients over the age of 65 – this population accounts for the greatest share of deaths currently due to Covid, he added.
“At this point, [older adults] have a greater share than at any other point in that pandemic. We’ve done some good work, we’ve had some successes, but we’re not through this yet,” said Becerra. “The stakes are still high.”
Becerra called attention to approximately 1,000 nursing homes with zero people vaccinated between residents and staff, a callback to the possibility of renewed action by the White House to send lists of senior facilities in this position.
Another stat listed by the HHS secretary: only 50 of 15,000 nursing homes in the country have become vaccinators since the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) changed its policy on who can administer Covid shots.
Becerra refers to the CDC’s Dec. 16 policy announcement which enabled long-term care providers to administer Covid vaccines to all residents and staff, as a way to eliminate barriers to vaccine access.
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