Write and submit an email to CMS on the nursing home staff vaccination mandate by Friday, September 3. As CMS is working on the regulation for the vaccine mandate, the agency has asked to hear feedback from providers on what impact it would have on centers. We are encouraging all nursing home providers (e.g., facility administrators and directors of nursing) to send an email to CMS sharing your facility’s story and perspective.

You may have already sent a message in response to an action alert Keith Hare sent out. If you did—thank you.

If you haven’t sent a message yet, here’s some additional background.

President Joe Biden announced on August 18 that all nursing home staff will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in an upcoming regulation. AHCA/NCAL sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, expressing concerns about the impact this mandate may have on staffing. The letter advocated that any mandate needs to apply to all health care settings, not just nursing homes, and offer a routine testing option for individuals who refuse a vaccine. AHCA/NCAL will continue its advocacy efforts, but CMS has asked to hear from providers, too.

You can send a message through the AHCA/NCAL Action Center or email CMS directly at DNH_TriageTeam@cms.hhs.gov. Instructions on what to include in your message can be found below.

Information to Include in Your Email 

Include your personal story, concerns, and suggestions for implementing the mandate. You could focus on:

• Your efforts to increase vaccine uptake among staff, challenges you’ve experienced, as well as successes you have had;
• The impact it will have on your facility’s staffing, noting personal stories such as the potential for losing committed and caring team members;
• Any impact it will have on your ability to continue to accept residents and provide care in your local community; and/or
• Any policies you want to advocate for (e.g., a testing option for the unvaccinated, phase-in of this mandate, extension to other health care settings, etc.).

If you use the Action Center, your message will be populated with a salutation to Administrator Brooks-LaSure and your signature information.

If you email CMS directly, include the following:

1. salutation:  Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure
2. conclude your message with a note of thanks for considering your input
3. your name, facility, city, and state