The COVID-19 Vaccine Approach Taken by the Veterans Health Administration

Several private businesses, colleges, and health care organizations have recently instituted policies to mandate the use of the COVID-19 vaccine for their employees. On July 26, 2021, over 50 organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, announced their position that health care employees should be mandated to become vaccinated against COVID-19.

In California and New York City, public works employees will face termination if they decline to be vaccinated. Additionally, over 500 colleges and universities across the country have determined that as a requirement to attend classes in person or to live on campus, students will need to prove they have been vaccinated.

Although the federal government has no such provision, the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), Denis McDonough, has instituted a new policy requiring that all frontline health care staff be vaccinated against COVID-19. Mr McDonough said in a statement, "It’s the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country. Whenever a veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19.”

Based on Secretary McDonough's views, to work as an unprotected aide or licensed clinician with a vulnerable older veteran is contrary to the expectation of the health provider’s role and an ethical issue.

With the rise in cases linked to the Delta variant causing a resurgence in COVID-19 across the country—mostly affecting those who have chosen not to become vaccinated—there will be more pressure on the long-term care industry to mandate a vaccination policy similar to the VA.

The pressure on aging care providers to recruit and retain employees has been an issue long before COVID-19. It may be helpful to meet with staff, have a discussion about the VA policy, and explore how the rationale behind this change is applicable to the care provided to other older adults in the nursing home setting.

The argument prior to this point has been to encourage vaccinations to protect the individual employee. With the movement towards mandatory vaccinations, the focus is shifting to the ethical responsibilities of health care employees within their roles as protectors of their vulnerable residents.

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