RiverMead CEO Bill James described Tuesday’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic as a “ray of hope” for the Peterborough community.
Through a collaboration with the State of New Hampshire and CVS, RiverMead held a pair of vaccination clinics for close to 100 residents in its Health Center neighborhoods and received enough doses to immunize every one of the facility’s nearly 300 employees.
“My understanding is we’re one of the first facilities in the state to get the vaccine,” James said. James said that any resident or employee who chose not to get vaccinated on Tuesday or were unable to, would have the opportunity to receive the Pfizer vaccine when CVS returns to RiverMead on Jan. 12.
Dr. Richard Feifer, Chief Medical Officer of Pheasant Wood Center, said in an email Tuesday that vaccination for residents and employees at the Peterborough facility was expected to begin on Wednesday.
“We are happy to report that vaccination of staff and residents at Pheasant Wood Center is scheduled to begin tomorrow, December 23, 2020, working with CVS as our chosen partner through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care program,” Feifer said. “CVS will return three weeks later to administer the second booster shots for those who received the vaccine on December 23rd and will also vaccinate anyone not included in round one. They will then return for a third time, three weeks after round two, to administer the final booster shots.”
James was selected as the RiverMead first staff member to receive the Pfizer vaccine through the employee clinic administered by CVS out of Windham. He said RiverMead’s request for enough doses to cover all employees was granted, which came as quite a pleasant surprise, James said, given the limited availability of the vaccine that was only granted emergency use authorization by the FDA on Dec. 11.
“We have looked at everyone of these folks as essential,” James said. “And we want to protect every employee as much as we can.”
James said he it is not clear when RiverMead residents in the independent living area of the facility would be able to receive their vaccination.
“We don’t have a date yet when that clinic will be available for that group, but we’re hopeful it will be soon,” he said.
Friendship Manor Administrator Gary Cahoon said that as of Tuesday he had not heard when his assisted living facility in New Ipswich would host a vaccine clinic for staff and residents. Cahoon said he was contacted more than a week ago by CVS, but is still awaiting word as to the date CVS will administer the vaccine. Cahoon, who is also on the board for the NH Association of Residential Care Homes, said assisted living is expected to begin Dec. 28.
Cahoon said if they did not receive enough doses to vaccinate all residents and staff, residents would be prioritized. He wasn’t sure if the facility would receive the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna version; Friendship Manor has two 17-year-old staff members who’d likely only be vaccinated if they receive the Pfizer version, as it is approved for ages 16 and up and Moderna is approved for those 18 years or older.
Lara Shea, CEO/Executive Director of Scott-Farrar, said Tuesday they registered two weeks ago with CVS and “now we just wait.”
“I would say we’re anxiously awaiting it and it will be a great day when it arrives,” Shea said. “Every day we get closer to the vaccine is a chance to save lives.”
Shea said she’s hopeful vaccination clinics will be held by the first week in January. She has been in communication with other area providers who are among the first round to receive the vaccine to get a sense of what they’re hearing. Shea said all staff, including those employed by Glendale Senior Dining, an outsourced NH company that provides the facility’s food, will be offered the vaccine.
Shea said they were told to prepare in the event that all staff and resident vaccinations could be done at once, but to be safe they have created a contingency plan if they don’t receive enough doses.
“We’re going to prioritize our most vulnerable, which for us is our memory care residents,” she said. “We anticipate knowing in advance, but we’re ready to make a decision day of. If this experience has taught me anything, it’s we have to be flexible.”
While they await word, Shea said they have offered educational sessions to staff members, residents and families to provide as much information as possible.
“I think everyone’s comfort level with this new vaccine is different,” Shea said. “But we would love to see everybody receive it.”
Prior to Tuesday afternoon’s staff clinic, James said he was hopeful there would be a good turnout among staff members. There were discussions around making the vaccine mandatory, but ultimately, James said, the decision was made to leave it up to each individual employee, resident and family.
He said RiverMead did an education session about the vaccine in an effort to give employees, residents and families the most up to date information. Although just the fact that the vaccine was making its way to RiverMead provides hope.
“It gives us the opportunity to hold on to that thinking things will be better,” James said.
As of Tuesday, Cahoon said all but one of Friendship Manor’s 19 residents have agreed to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. He said 60%, 9 out of 15, of the staff had said yes.
“That’s a little lower than I’d like it,” Cahoon said. “I’d like to twist a couple more arms.” Others have expressed no interest in being “a guinea pig.”
Cahoon is not mandating the vaccine for residents or employees, partly because he can’t afford to lose staff.
“I thought of it,” he said. “But staffing is a tremendous problem. And the question is: can I do it without those people if I made it mandatory? I wanted to make it mandatory, but we have to have people to work.”
Shea said Scott-Farrar will not be making the vaccine mandatory for staff or residents. But if the state were to make it mandatory,they would follow that guidance.
Through communications, engagement and trust-building, Feifer said, the goal for the facility is 100% staff vaccination “without attempting to impose a requirement.”
“We also are communicating with residents and their families to stress the importance of receiving the vaccine and how it will work. We have a robust communication and education initiative underway, encouraging vaccination among staff, residents and families,” Feifer said.
James said despite the vaccination clinic, safety protocols put in place will remain that way.
“Not for one second do I plan to change anything,” he said.
Feifer stressed the importance of the vaccine, while still adhering to the safety precautions put in place.
“Vaccination is the critical third leg of the stool, along with personal protective equipment and testing, in stemming COVID-19 spread in nursing homes and protecting residents and healthcare workers,” Feifer said. “This is unquestionably the biggest vaccination effort ever undertaken and will help prevent further tragedies, especially in this vulnerable population.”
Cahoon said protocols will remain in place, but there have been inquiries into what getting the vaccine might mean for Friendship Maonr’s policies.
“The questions we’ve got from the residents is once we vaccinate can we go out (into the community)?” Cahoon said. “And I don’t know the answer.”
Since they have not received any vaccinations yet, Shea said there is no change to safety protocols in place for personal protective equipment, social distancing and restricting outside visitors.
While it is unclear how the vaccine will impact the future of local facilities, James said it’s a big step out of what has been a difficult time “for so many months.”
“It means a great deal to know there’s an opportunity to do something,” he said.
Shea said the collaboration with other local administrators has been a great resource. Tuesday afternoon, as RiverMead was offering its staff clinic, Shea said she was anticipating learning about their process from James to get a better idea of what to expect.
And as she looks ahead, Shea said she wonders what it will mean when they make a hire or a new resident moves in after the clinics.
“We have to anticipate that scenario,” she said.
Feifer said that all drugs or vaccines have some potential side effects, and it is important to monitor for such issues even after a drug or vaccine is approved.
“As the largest nursing home operator, we’re prepared to assist,” Feifer said. “Genesis is participating in a newly developed safety monitoring program with Brown University School of Public Health researchers, to monitor for any potential adverse health impacts after nursing home residents in our affiliated centers receive COVID-19 vaccinations. This work is part of a CDC effort to carefully monitor vaccine safety, particularly focused on frail elderly residents who were not included in vaccine trials.”