Pennsylvania Nursing Home Staff Offered $750 Bonuses to Vaccinate

Houston hospital employees offered $500 — so 'scarce' they're having to pay people to actually take it

EASTON, Pa. – Northampton County will offer staff members of Gracedale, the county nursing home, $750 each to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

That could cost as much as $490,000 if all 650 employees get the shot. The payment is an incentive. County Executive Lamont McClure said employees cannot be required to get the shots.

“Lives and livelihoods will be saved by a robust vaccination program,” McClure said.

He said the county will use federal CARES Act money to pay the incentive. The county received $27.6 million from the federal government for pandemic relief. It kept some and distributed the rest to nonprofit groups, small businesses, schools and local governments.

The need to make Gracedale safe is urgent as the coronavirus continues to rage, McClure said.

“Long-term care facilities are where people die,” McClure said. The average age of county residents who died of COVID-19 is 80, he added.

McClure and Gracedale Administrator Jennifer Stewart-King said the payment will help persuade staff to get shots, which McClure said will soon be available to the county.

Stewart-King said not all employees will want the vaccine, but the payment could sway some. She said she would get the vaccine first to set an example.

“Because it was fast-tracked, there was some concern about it,” she said. COVID-19 vaccines were developed in months, while some earlier vaccines required years of work.

“We have anecdotal reports that people are concerned,” McClure said. “Their concerns are valid, no doubt about it.”

Council members questioned whether other employees would be paid to be vaccinated.

“We’re starting to have issues down at the prison” with COVID-19, Councilman Kevin Lott said. “Where does this start and end?”

“Everybody’s going to say, ‘I want the money too’,” Council President Ronald Heckman said. “If it’s a medical concern, does money help?”

Councilwoman Tara Zrinski asked about human services employees, who also deal with the public.

“As soon as we are able to vaccinate the COs [prison guards], we will make it available to them,” McClure said. “And inmates.” However, there is no money to pay incentives to other employees.

McClure said Gracedale vaccination payments are an authorized use of the federal money because the goal is to reduce spread of the virus. He asked council to look at the big picture for all county residents.

“You want your corner bar open? This is the way to do it,” he said. Getting vaccinations to residents and staff in long-term care facilities will prevent deaths and slow the spread of the coronavirus, he explained.

When Heckman pointed out that Gracedale employees are still getting hazard pay, McClure said they are — and that, like it or not, “Gracedale runs on incentives.” Incentives such as higher rates for certain shifts are part of the culture of the Upper Nazareth Township facility.

“I need to do this for my residents and staff to protect them,” Stewart-King said.

When Councilman William McGee asked if some time limit would be set on when employees could ask for the $750, McClure said Stewart-King would use her own judgment.

“If somebody comes in in July and says, ‘Hey I’ll get vaccinated now, give me the $750,’ we might look at it differently,” he said.

The final vote was 7-0 in favor. Lott, Zrinski, McGee, John Cusick, Thomas Giovanni, Lori Vargo Heffner and Margaret Ferraro were in favor. Kerry Myers was absent and Heckman left early to attend a meeting of the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority.

Source: WFMZ

25 Comments
  1. Garry Compton says

    A Perfect Example of how the Governments in the USA – function = Bribery.

  2. Saint Jimmy (Russian American) says

    Make it 7.5 million. Then I might take your corporate snake oil injection. I’m 63 with nagging aches and pains. I don’t give a fuck if your capitalist corporate poison kills me. My wife and son would really appreciate that much money.

  3. Aurum Cimex says

    Bribery to pressurise vulnerable people to take dangerous untested medications. If you take the money what kind of person are you?

  4. ke4ram says

    “He said the county will use federal CARES Act money to pay the incentive. The county received $27.6 million from the federal government for pandemic relief”

    If you can’t see the con here than there’s no hope. (lol) The Federale’s printing up currency out the wazoo as a payoff to call anything Sars 2. They don’t even try to hide it anymore as bribes are how a 4th world country operates.

  5. Garry Compton says

    A Perfect Example of how the Governments in the USA – function = Bribery.

    1. Saint Jimmy (Russian American) says

      It is controlled by goddamn sleazy ass PRIVATE SECTOR CORPORATE FUCKS.

    2. Saint Jimmy (Russian American) says

      It is controlled by goddamn sleazy ass PRIVATE SECTOR CORPORATE FUCKS.

  6. Saint Jimmy (Russian American) says

    Make it 7.5 million. Then I might take your corporate snake oil injection. I’m 63 with nagging aches and pains. I don’t give a fuck if your capitalist corporate poison kills me. My wife and son would really appreciate that much money.

    1. ke4ram says

      As fast as they’re printing up the cash that 7.5 million will soon only buy a loaf of bread.

    2. ke4ram says

      As fast as they’re printing up the cash that 7.5 million will soon only buy a loaf of bread.

      1. Saint Jimmy (Russian American) says

        Ha. You could be right. Weimar Republic.

  7. Aurum Cimex says

    Bribery to pressurise vulnerable people to take dangerous untested medications. If you take the money what kind of person are you?

    1. ke4ram says

      Dead…

    2. ke4ram says

      Dead…

  8. Undecider says

    Sure. Give me the same shot Gates and Fauci received. And I’ll take the $500 too.

  9. ke4ram says

    “He said the county will use federal CARES Act money to pay the incentive. The county received $27.6 million from the federal government for pandemic relief”

    If you can’t see the con here than there’s no hope. (lol) The Federale’s printing up currency out the wazoo as a payoff to call anything Sars 2. They don’t even try to hide it anymore as bribes are how a 4th world country operates.

    1. Bill Jackson says

      Got news for you.America has been operating on bribes for decades! Nothing new.

  10. thomas malthaus says

    RW
    @Rhonda52807071

    “I have a recording. I have names of nurses in the recording who I don’t want to cause any trouble for otherwise I would have shared everything. I also have the hospital name and ward confirmed in the recording. Seems people get a kick out of calling others liars.”

    Go to her Twitter feed and read her comments that date back at least two days relating to her father’s death.

  11. Undecider says

    Sure. Give me the same shot Gates and Fauci received. And I’ll take the $500 too.

  12. Darm Crook says

    Money – action like this is starting to show just who or what God is to North Americans = money not God when money collapses everyone will see how good this god works.

  13. thomas malthaus says

    RW
    @Rhonda52807071

    “I have a recording. I have names of nurses in the recording who I don’t want to cause any trouble for otherwise I would have shared everything. I also have the hospital name and ward confirmed in the recording. Seems people get a kick out of calling others liars.”

    Go to her Twitter feed and read her comments that date back at least two days relating to her father’s death.

  14. Raptar Driver says

    Wow, that’s like paying me to drive a Chevy.

  15. Darm Crook says

    Money – action like this is starting to show just who or what God is to North Americans = money not God when money collapses everyone will see how good this god works.

  16. yuri says

    bill gates will bribe the homeless with meth and burritos—a true philanthropist

  17. Mark says

    According to Indeed, a nursing assistant at the Gracedale makes about $32,000.00 a year, so $750.00 is almost a week’s pay. A review of the job at the facility yields very negative commentary from staff, ranging from ‘overwhelming’ to ‘short-staffed’ to ‘worst work culture I have ever seen’.

    Sounds like a target-rich environment for bribery. And I would have thought if the story of ‘Vaccination – The Lifesaver’ had real credibility, there would be no need to coerce people to take it.

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