Commissioner blasts 'medical apartheid' over vaccine mandate

OSSIPEE — The acting chairman of the Carroll County commissioners decried vaccine mandates and the possible impact on the nursing home staffing. However, he appeared reluctant to take tangible steps to address this issue.

Matthew Plache (R-Wolfeboro) led Thursday's meeting in the absence of chairwoman Terry McCarthy (R-Conway).

On Aug. 18, the White House announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will develop new regulations for nursing homes to require all their workers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Such regulations would apply to nearly 15,000 nursing home facilities, which employ approximately 1.6 million workers and serve approximately 1.3 million nursing home residents.

Plache said this comes at a time, when he says nursing positions are hard to fill. That said, the county depends on those federal funds.

"If this goes forward, some people will not be able to get the vaccine and will have to choose between continuing to work for the nursing home or liberty," said Plache. "I'm having trouble with that."

He said vaccination requirements cause a two-tier society between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

"Essentially, we would be instituting medical apartheid," said Plache. "We would have two classes of citizens: one vaccinated, they would be the upper class, the superior; and then a subordinate class. I'm having a problem with that. I think that conflicts with what we stand for."

Nursing home administrator Dee Brown said the deadline may come as soon as October, according to a statement from the American Healthcare Association. She thinks the federal mandate is well-intentioned but could have unintended consequences.

"We are not ready for this," said Brown. "This is not going to be something that's going to be easily handled in our facility or any nursing home facility."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mountain View Community, the county nursing home, has had 13 staff and four residents infected with the disease. One resident died.

The nursing home has about 186 employees, but the facility should have about 195. Brown said 51 of Mountain View's workers in various departments are unvaccinated.

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She thinks they could lose up to 40 percent of the 51 non-vaccinated employees.

"Fifty-one unvaccinated is a very big number," said Brown "This is only going to add to this lack of staff."

She said staffers are working long hours. "With COVID, our staff is tired," said Brown. "Nursing home staff have not had a break, they have not had a moment to even regroup. It's been nonstop."

She said losing even more staff is a "scary thought."

Plache said he's getting calls from nurses seeking legal advice because they are pregnant or nursing mothers who don't want to harm their babies.

Ossipee resident Dallas Emery, who has been advocating against mask/vaccine mandates for months, appeared at the commissioner’s meeting. His wife works at the nursing home and he says she won’t take the vaccine.

Emery urged the commissioners to take a stand. "You've got to fight," said Emery, who suggested the commissioners go to court.

Plache said the county will "do what it can" to help its employees through this issue but said he doesn't think the county has the "wherewithal" to win a court battle over vaccines.

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