Nursing homes with most unvaccinated workers among WNY's worst-rated

Sep. 27—The nursing homes in the Buffalo area with the largest percentage of unvaccinated workers are all also among the worst-rated nursing homes in the region.

The state mandate requiring all nursing home workers to have at least one vaccination shot against Covid took effect Monday.

As of Saturday, 87% of workers in the 70 nursing homes in Western New York had received at least one Covid shot.

But at eight nursing homes in Western New York, more than 20% of the workers were unvaccinated as of Saturday, according to data the nursing homes provided to the state Department of Health.

Some were scrambling to get vaccinated workers from employment agencies to take care of residents.

"We always follow the guidelines set forth by the New York State DOH so if an employee will not receive their vaccination, they will 'no longer be eligible' to be employed by our nursing homes per this New York State mandate," said Jeffrey Jacomowitz, a spokesman for two Buffalo nursing homes, Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing.

If the employee decides later to be vaccinated, he or she can reclaim the job at the two nursing homes, Jacomowitz said.

In the meantime, "the facilities are going to utilize agency staff who are fully vaccinated to complement staffing at facilities. The care and safety of our residents are our top-of-the-line priorities," Jacomowitz said.

Here is the breakdown as of Saturday at five of the nursing homes with the lowest rates of vaccinated workers.

Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Nursing Center: As of Saturday, only 48% of the workers at Comprehensive Rehab in Williamsville had received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, the lowest percentage at any of the 70 nursing homes in Western New York, according to the state Department of Health.

The percentage of workers there with at least one shot dropped from 50% on Sept. 14, according to state data.

The 142-bed facility has a "much below average" or one-star ranking from the federal government. The nursing home has been fined a total of $14,000 by the state Department of Health for Covid-related infection control violations.

Since Jan. 1, 2020, Comprehensive Rehabilitation has had 75 residents confirmed with the virus, 12 residents die from Covid-19, and 66 staff members test positive for Covid, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The administrator of Comprehensive Rehab did not respond to The Buffalo News' request for comment.

Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center: The nursing home in Albion in Orleans County had only 49% of its workers vaccinated with at least one shot, according to the state data.

The percentage of workers there with at least one shot fell from 57% on Sept. 14, according to state data.

The 120-bed facility was designated as a Special Focus Facility subject to more frequent inspections five months ago because of its history of poor care. It was fined $66,632 by the federal government and $20,000 by the state for Covid-related infection control violations.

The Villages has had 108 residents confirmed with the virus, 29 residents die from Covid-19, and 63 staff members test positive, according to federal data.

No one answered the phone at the Villages on Monday when The News called for comment.

Buffalo Community Healthcare Center: The nursing home on Delaware Avenue had 49% of its workers vaccinated against Covid-19 with at least one shot, as of Saturday.

The percentage of workers there with at least one shot increased from 45% on Sept. 14, according to state data.

The 95-bed nursing home has a "much below average" or one-star ranking from the federal government. The nursing home has been fined $8,000 by the state for Covid-related infection control violations.

Buffalo Community Healthcare has had 37 residents confirmed with the virus, two residents die from Covid-19 and 55 staff members test positive, according to the federal data.

Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing: According to the state data, the Buffalo facility had 60% of its workers vaccinated against Covid-19 with at least one shot, as of Saturday.

The percentage of workers there with at least one shot jumped from 53% on Sept. 14, according to state data.

The 160-bed facility has a "much below average" or one-star ranking from the federal government. It was fined $2,000 by the state for Covid-related infection control violations.

Since Jan. 1, 2020, Ellicott Center has had 82 residents confirmed with the virus, 17 residents die from Covid-19, and 67 staff members test positive, according to federal data.

Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing: It had 63% of its workers vaccinated against Covid-19 with at least one shot, as of Saturday.

The percentage of workers there with at least one shot rose from 57% on Sept. 14, according to state data.

The 200-bed nursing home has a "much below average" or one-star ranking from the federal government. It was fined $50,869 by the federal government and $22,000 by the state for Covid-related infection control violations.

Buffalo Center has had 102 residents confirmed with the virus, 15 residents die from Covid-19, and 78 staff members test positive, according to the federal data.

"Centers Health Care continues to strongly encourage staff to be safe by getting vaccinated," Jacomowitz said, speaking for Ellicott Center and Buffalo Center.

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