116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Only 12% of Iowa nursing homes meet staff COVID-19 vaccine standard
5 in Cedar Rapids, 1 each in Iowa City, Coralville, Solon and Marion meet industry standard of at least 75%, federal records show
Only 50 of Iowa’s 409 long-term care facilities are reporting that three-quarters or more of their workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, newly disclosed records show.
That means 88 percent of Iowa facilities classified as nursing homes have yet to meet the industry’s stated standard of having at least three-fourths of their workforce vaccinated against the virus.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began publishing COVID-19 vaccination data from individual nursing homes on its COVID-19 Nursing Home Data website.
Since May 21, nursing homes throughout the country have been required by the agency to submit vaccination data for both staff and residents. When data from only those homes that have complied is considered and compared with data from all 50 states, Iowa has the 21st highest rate of staff vaccinations, at 59 percent.
The states with the highest reported rate of overall staff vaccination are Hawaii, Vermont, Arkansas and California, with rates ranging from 75 to 82 percent. The states with the lowest reported rates are Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Florida, with rates ranging from 41 to 43 percent.
Although Iowa’s state public health officials have said they’ve never collected data on the staff vaccination rates in privately run nursing homes, the federal government is now collecting that information and is reporting it to the public.
According to the latest federal data, only the same four states with the highest rates, along with Puerto Rico, have reached the industry’s goal of having 75 percent of their nursing home workforce vaccinated.
The agency has said it is now enforcing the vaccination reporting requirement, and will be imposing fines against homes that to fail to comply. According to the latest data from the federal agency, these are the Iowa nursing homes where the percentage of current health care personnel who have received a completed vaccination is at 75 percent or higher:
- ManorCare Health Services, Cedar Rapids: 100%
- Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Iowa City: 96.28%
- Shady Oaks, Lake City: 88.1%
- Salem Lutheran Home, Elk Horn: 80%
- Azria Health, Clarinda: 76.27%
- On With Life, Ankeny: 78.47%
- Willow Gardens Care Center, Marion: 86.25%
- Genesis Senior Living, Des Moines: 80.77%
- MercyOne-Oelwein Senior Care, Oelwein: 89.36%
- Good Samaritan Home, Red Oak: 84.31%
- Good Samaritan Home, Estherville: 78.67%
- Grandview Health Care Center, Dayton: 81.48%
- Caring Acres Nursing & Rehab Center, Anita: 89.19%
- Good Samaritan Home, Manson: 77.97%
- Chautauqua Guest Home #3, Charles City: 80.22%
- Ravenwood Specialty Care, Waterloo: 81.67%
- Living Center West, Cedar Rapids: 78.67%
- Sunrise Hill Care Center, Traer: 97.06%
- North Crest Living Center, Council Bluff: 88.24%
- Linn Haven Rehab & Healthcare, New Hampton: 83.33%
- Colonial Manor, Amana: 75.90%
- Dumont Wellness Center, Dumont: 76.60%
- Willow Dale Wellness Village, Battle Creek: 79.31%
- Manilla Manor, Manilla: 88.89%
- Elm Crest Retirement Community, Harlan: 75.41%
- Longview Home, Missouri Valley: 77.97%
- Simpson Memorial Home, West Liberty: 82.22%
- Pearl Valley Rehabilitation and Nursing, Perry: 75.76%
- Accura Healthcare, Sioux City: 100%
- Stacyville Community Nursing Home, Stacyville: 77.08%
- Longhouse-Northshire, Spencer: 78.72%
- Westhaven Community, Boone: 85.48%
- Riceville Family Care and Therapy Center, Riceville: 80.56%
- Meth-wick Health Center, Cedar Rapids: 81.67%
- Wesley Park Centre, Newton: 83.89%
- Windmill Manor, Coralville: 75.65%
- Solon Nursing Care Center, Solon: 93.02%
- Adel Acres, Adel: 78.38%
- West Ridge Care Center, Cedar Rapids: 100%
- Green Hills Health Care Center, Ames: 78.62%
- Maquoketa Care Center, Maquoketa: 84.85%
- Northbrook Manor Care Center, Cedar Rapids: 92.45%
- Clarence Nursing Home, Clarence: 75%
- Keystone Nursing Care Center, Keystone: 76.84%
- Newton Village Health Care Center, Newton: 86.89%
- Northridge Village, Ames: 75.56%
- Rehabilitation Center, Lisbon: 91.67%
- Buchanan County Health Center, Independence: 76.92%
- Story County Hospital Nevada: 80.58%
- MercyOne Dyersville Senior Care, Dyersville: 79.81%
This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Willow Gardens Care Center in Marion is among only 50 nursing homes in Iowa to meet or exceed the industry standard of at least three-quarters of the staff being completely vaccinated against COVID-19, federal records show. (Google Street View image from 2019)
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