Kansas nursing home employees missing vaccine targets
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — About a third of Kansas nursing homes have fewer than half of their healthcare workers vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to data released by the state.
Just four of the more than 300 federally-licensed nursing homes are meeting the state’s goal for 90% of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows.
The departments released the data about a week after President Joe Biden announced that his administration will require nursing home staff to be vaccinated as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.
The department for aging and disability services said in a statement last week that it released the data to prepare for those new rules.
Gov. Laura Kelly’s office said in a statement that the administration would encourage nursing home workers to get vaccinated without offering details.
As of Wednesday, about 46% of Kansans were fully vaccinated, according to data provided by the state.