LAKELAND, Fla. — Since December, officials at the Estates at Carpenters in Lakeland have made it their mission to encourage their staff of healthcare workers to get vaccinated. Facility administrator Matthew Thompson says it’s worked, to a point. 

“We still have about roughly 30% of our workforce that have chosen not to get vaccinated yet,” Thompson said. 

Two months ago the assistant living facility mandated all new employees be vaccinated. Now, officials want to expand that mandate to include all current employees too. 

“We have an average age of over 85 years old," Thompson said. “And a lot of the people specifically in our health center co-morbidities. And if they catch COVID there’s a high likelihood that they might die, so we are saving lives is how I look at that.” 

Ralph Posey, 90, who lives at the facility, says one of those lives being saved by the mandate is his. 

“I think they need to be vaccinated because it’s very dangerous if I get that disease. I’m gone,” Posey said. 

Although the Estates at Carpenters has the second-highest percentage of staff vaccinated than any other assisted living facility in Polk County, according to the CDC, Florida nursing homes rank second to last compared to other states, averaging in less than 46% of staff being vaccinated. Some health care workers have a hard time making sense of that.

“Coming to work every day, it can be scary”, said Certified Nurse Educator Marianne McCollum. “To think about coming in here and bringing something with you and wipe out a population of your friends and your family.” 

About 250 people work at the Estates. Officials say they will make exceptions for employees who cannot get vaccinated for either religious or medical reasons. 

“Even though I know we’re going to lose some employees over this,” Thompson added. “We’re also hopeful that we will gain some.”