County at odds over unvaccinated care workers

An Ozaukee County committee on Tuesday nixed plans for an incentive program that would have paid each Lasata Care Center employee $500 if they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The plan was proposed as a way to encourage employees of the county-run nursing home to receive the vaccine before the federal government mandates they get the inoculation.

Only 58% of the staff members at Lasata Care Center are vaccinated, Lasata Administrator Amanda Kohal said, adding “The goal is to reach as close to 100% as possible.”

The proposed payment would have been given to Lasata employees who are fully vaccinated by Nov. 30, and would cost an estimated $125,000 if there was 100% compliance, officials said. The money would come from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding.

But a motion by Mequon Supr. Alice Read to approve the plan did not even receive a vote. It died Tuesday when the motion failed to receive a second during a meeting of the Health and Human Services committee and board on Tuesday.

As the group waited to see if anyone would second the motion, Supr. Don Clark of Saukville said, “I’m not seconding it, I’m sorry.”

The group’s decision came after a spirited debate over the proposed incentive program and a request by a nurse at Lasata that the county fight the federal vaccine mandate.

Deb Gall, who said she’s been a nurse at Lasata for nine years, said staff members deserve to decide for themselves if they get the vaccine.

“Our residents were given the choice if they want to get the vaccine or not. The staff has not,” Gall said. “We need to push back. I’m asking the board to consider fighting this mandate.”

Gall, who said she is unvaccinated for personal and health reasons, said that she fears a number of staff members will leave if the county mandates inoculations, and “we’re going to be suffering big time.”

“The morale has been bad there,” she said. “We’re doing more than our jobs. They (the staff) are already burnt out.”

If more staff members leave, Gall said, she fears residents won’t get the care they deserve. 

County Administrator Jason Dzwinel told the panel that the incentive program was proposed as a way to reward staff members who are fully vaccinated and encourage unvaccinated nursing home employees to get the inoculation.

The federal mandate, which was announced in August, hasn’t been imposed yet but it is coming and the county will have to comply, he said, noting that the nursing home receives the majority of its funding from the government.

“We have to follow their rules,” he said.

But the incentive program drew criticism from Supr. Scott Rishel of Grafton, who said “I totally disagree with giving $500 to people who have been vaccinated.”

“I just think it’s almost insulting to think $500 is going to overcome people’s health concerns,” he said. “People who aren’t getting the vaccine aren’t doing it for political reasons. They’re doing it for health reasons.

“I bet there are people for who $100,000 wouldn’t be enough.”

Kohal said she has surveyed staff members who aren’t vaccinated and few of them cited medical reasons. Political and personal reasons were cited more often, she told the committee and board.

Rishel said he is also concerned there may be “high-performing” staff members who aren’t vaccinated, and rewarding those who don’t work as hard is a “slap in their face.”

The incentive sets a precedent for the county, Rishel said, noting that the mandate may extend to businesses with more than 100 employees, like the county.

“If we’re doing this for a looming federal mandate, why aren’t we doing this for every county employee?” he asked.

Read, however, said Lasata is a unique case among county departments.

“The main reason to pick out Lasata is because we’re dealing with vulnerable residents, and we need to protect them,” she said, noting that numerous nursing home residents around the country have died from the coronavirus during the pandemic. 

Vaccination, she said, is proven to prevent serious illness and hospitalization.

“Has it been proven a Lasata employee has passed Covid to a resident?” Rishel asked.

Yes, said Kohal.

Dzwinel noted that Lasata has reached outbreak status — when one employee or resident has been diagnosed with Covid-19 — for more than half of the last 18 months. This, he said in a memo to the committee, creates pressure and stress on the staff, increases costs and is a “terrible burden” on residents.

Kohal, who said Lasata is not currently in outbreak status, told the committee that the nursing home, like other facilities throughout the country, is struggling to find staff members.

She said she is concerned that when the federal mandate is imposed there will be staff members who leave rather than get vaccinated.

“We are struggling to compete with retailers. We have tried everything to recruit and retain employees,” she said, including wage adjustments, bonuses.

Staff members are “all trying to pitch in,” she said, doing jobs that don’t fall within their job description to ensure residents receive the care they need.

“We have adequate staff to care for the residents,” she said. “Are we challenged at times? Yes. Are we pitching in and doing duties we don’t usually do — absolutely. But I have the most amazing team. Our priority is keeping our residents clean and comfortable and safe and happy.”