WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country, released a statement on the nursing home industry’s goal of getting 75 percent of staff vaccinated by June 30.
The statement is attributable to Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer of AHCA/NCAL:
“Since the beginning of the year, the industry has made significant progress toward increasing the number of nursing home staff who are vaccinated, and we commend the thousands of facilities that have met the goal to vaccinate three-quarters of their staff. However, the current, national results indicate that more work needs to be done.
“Vaccination rates among long term care staff continue to mirror other health care settings and general population rates, especially in certain parts of the country, because there continues to be a large amount of misinformation circulating around these safe and effective vaccines. Ongoing vaccine education and outreach is critical in protecting our vulnerable population from COVID-19, and we remain focused on sharing credible information through our
#GetVaccinated campaign.
“We are steadfast in achieving our goal to have 75 percent of staff vaccinated, and meanwhile, we must continue to be vigilant against this virus and ensure we are doing everything necessary to protect those in our care.”
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit
www.ahcancal.org.