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Hanceville nursing home has highest vaccination rate in state

Cullman Times - 6/15/2021

Jun. 15—Hanceville Nursing Home & Rehab Center has the distinction of having the highest percentage of staff — 96.81% —vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Only three nursing homes in Alabama have more than 75% of their staff vaccinated against the disease.

Administrator Donna Guthrie said they pushed for the staff to get vaccinated in order to protect the facility's 208 residents. "We felt that we needed to put the patients first and that's what we did," she said.

Residents and staff began receiving vaccinations at the end of 2020, and the administration worked to educate staff members on the shots. "We busted all those crazy myths," said Guthrie. Dr. Adam Harrison also visited the facility to share information and answer questions about the vaccines.

It is also a policy of the center that staff members must be vaccinated or have a doctor's note excusing them from receiving the shots. According to CMS, Hanceville Nursing & Rehab has 243 employees eligible for the vaccine.

Guthrie said the population they serve is just too vulnerable to take any chances. According to the American Healthcare Association, only 6% of long-term care residents contracted COVID-19, but they make up 40% of the COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

"If we lost 40% of our people, it would have been over 50 people," said Guthrie. "We couldn't let that happen. We have to take care of ourselves to protect them."

They also encourage visitors to the facilities to get vaccinated. "We know that every contact with someone who has not been vaccinated may pose a risk," she said. "Low risk doesn't mean no risk."

She sees educating the community about the vaccines as part of their "public duty." Alabama has the second-lowest vaccinate rate in the nation, at 30.6%. Only Mississippi has a lower rate at 28.1%.

"I wish people would trust science and would believe in science," said Guthrie. "It has nothing to do with any political parties; it's about taking care of ourselves and our community."

The community, too, plays a role in how long-term care facilities operate during a pandemic. The CMS provides regulations and rules for facilities and the key determining factor as to whether or not nursing homes could allow in-person visits was the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in the county. Even with vaccinations, Guthrie said, that rule remains in place.

She noted a report from AARP that said 800 long-term care residents and staff die each month from complications from COVID-19. "I love my staff, I love my folks, and I love my community," said Guthrie. "I don't want my community sick."

The center continues to follow coronavirus protocols such as checking visitors' temperatures and ensuring they wash their hands before visiting with residents. Following those guidelines has had an added benefit: "It was miraculous, the major decrease we saw in flu, strep and upper respiratory illnesses," said Infection Control nurse Emma Nichols. "We had zero flu patients last year. It was incredible."

Guthrie said CMS is beginning to push long-term care facilities to improve their staff vaccination rates. She said for her staff, it comes down to thinking of patients first. "My father always had a saying, 'Treat each patient as if they were you're own mom and daddy.' If that was my momma laying in the bed, I would want someone who came in to see her daily take care of themselves so she wouldn't get covid and die. They pay to be here so we need to do whatever we can to ensure that they stay healthy."

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