28% of Arkansas Nursing Homes Report Increases in Fully Vaccinated Personnel

Twenty-eight percent of Arkansas nursing homes report that the percentages of their healthcare personnel who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 increased between Aug. 22 and Aug. 29, according to data published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and displayed on our COVID-19 in Arkansas web page.

Arkansas nursing homes average 64% of their healthcare personnel fully vaccinated, in line with the national average of 63%, according to data reported Aug. 29.

Seventy-five percent of Arkansas nursing homes report that at least 50% of their healthcare personnel fully vaccinated, while 34% report that at least 75% of their healthcare personnel fully vaccinated.

Two Arkansas nursing homes, Quapaw Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hot Springs and Robinson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Little Rock, report that 100% of their healthcare personnel are vaccinated. Four nursing homes report that 100% of their residents are vaccinated: Advanced Health and Rehab of Union County in El Dorado, Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville, Cavalier Healthcare of England, and Robinson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Woodruff County Health Center in McCrory has seen an increase of 17 percentage points (from 59% on Aug. 22 to 76% on Aug. 29) in its fully vaccinated healthcare personnel ― the largest one-week increase reported.

The rates of COVID-19 deaths and infections among nursing home residents plateaued after vaccinations became available for healthcare personnel and residents at long-term care facilities. However, as the delta variant surges throughout the state, there has been renewed transmission activity within some facilities over the past several weeks.

The Biden administration announced Aug. 18 that nursing homes must require their staff members to get vaccinated or risk losing federal funding. The federal government has not released a date when the vaccine mandate will take effect, but a spokesperson for CMS told the Association of Health Care Journalists that CMS “intends to issue an emergency regulation that would become effective upon publication in late September.”