RI Home Care Providers See “Mass Discharge” of Patients by October 1 Due to Vaccination Requirement
Wednesday, September 01, 2021
The Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care announced Tuesday that they are hearing the state's home care providers are anticipating a "dramatic reduction in available workers" as a result of the state's requirements for vaccination among healthcare workers.
The emergency state regulation (216-RICR-20-15-8) enacted on August 17 requires all licensed healthcare workers and providers be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 1, 2021. While limited permanent medical exemptions will be granted by the Rhode Island Department of Health, religious exemptions and temporary medical exemptions are disallowed.
"As a result, home care providers are receiving hundreds of resignations from nurses, allied health professionals, nurse assistants, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and office staff that are not intending to be fully vaccinated by the regulatory deadline," said the group in a statement.
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About Provider Situation
Current projections have over 1,000 home care patients and clients without continuity of care by September 30, 2021 due to healthcare workforce displacement caused by enacting this emergency regulation. While this figure represents only a small fraction of providers’ cumulative census (approximately 4.7%), this will impact home care patients and clients residing in every Rhode Island city and town. The Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care has requested that the Rhode Island Department of Health exempt home care from this mandate.
“While home care administrators are supportive of patients, clients and employees getting vaccinated, it should remain a decision between an individual patient and their physician. We are losing excellent direct care staff that have been on the frontline throughout this pandemic," said Michael Bigney, President of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care and Administrator of Home Health and Hospice Care of Nursing Placement. "I hope that every displaced patient and client calls Governor McKee to tell him that this mandate is wrong. Discharging vulnerable homebound patients and clients without continuity of home care may contribute to more hospitalizations than any COVID-19 breakthrough variant. It does not seem that Governor McKee or his Health Department thought through this policy before enacting it.”
The Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care requested that the Rhode Island Department of Health develop a process to accept neglect reporting specific to compliance with this emergency regulation. By creating a separate process, the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Rhode Island Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, municipal senior advocate police officers and other state and local case management entities "can prepare for the sudden influx of reported cases and identify alternative resources to stabilize each member of their community that are vulnerable, homebound and soon to be without care," they said, adding the Rhode Island Department of Health has yet to respond to this request.
