On October 20th, Wickshire Senior Living opted in, through the CDC Pharmacy Partnership, to receive the COVID-19 vaccination administered through CVS pharmacy. While waiting for emergency approval from the FDA for use of the vaccine, Wickshire is highly encouraging that residents and associates receive the vaccination once able to. With a tentative clinic start date of December 22nd, Wickshire will be providing the COVID-19 vaccination to all residents and associates who choose to participate. CVS will conduct, at a minimum, 3 separate clinics to ensure all residents and staff who choose to be vaccinated will be.
While allocation and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination will vary by state and jurisdiction, the vaccination through CVS will be all encompassing across all 16 Wickshire Senior Living communities throughout the United States. Every resident residing within a community will have the option to receive the vaccination onsite, as well as direct care and ancillary staff.
“Wickshire is excited to be able to provide priority access to receiving the vaccination if the resident or staff member so chooses to receive it. Wickshire is not requiring all occupants of the communities to receive the vaccination, but we are highly encouraging it,” said Maggie Dewey, Vice President of Clinical Operations at Wickshire. “We are so proud to know that over half of our staff and residents have verbally committed to receiving the vaccine. We believe this further proves our deep commitment to protecting the health and safety of not only our residents and staff, but all of their families as well.”
Wickshire firmly believes that ensuring residents and staff in all of our senior living settings are among the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will help limit the spread of COVID-19, prevent further loss of loved ones, and, just for good measure, will allow residents to once again go out and enjoy social activities, to see their loved ones and return to the quality of life they deserve. This vaccine administered through CVS clinics onsite across all 16 communities is the first critical step toward these goals.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), LeadingAge, Argentum and the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) released a joint statement today regarding distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine:
“Since the start of the pandemic, heroic caregivers in long-term care and senior living communities have done everything in their power to protect our most vulnerable citizens. In the early months, essential resources such as personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and staffing support were directed toward hospitals and other health care sectors, leaving nursing homes, assisted living and senior living communities and other long-term care providers pleading for help. Government reports correctly identified all long-term care residents and staff for priority distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. It is critical that policymakers at all levels maintain that position as these products come online and are delivered across the country. The lack of prioritization for long-term care and seniors housing at the outset of the pandemic led to devastating losses, and we cannot let that happen again. Vulnerable older adults and the frontline workers who protect them deserve the full support of the public health sector.”
We at Wickshire Senior Living couldn’t agree more. With the ongoing support of our community members, frontline workers and industry partners, Wickshire is eagerly awaiting approval to begin vaccine prioritization. Wickshire as a company is extremely pleased to see the critical importance of vaccinating vulnerable residents and their heroic caregiving staff has been recognized. It’s the simple truth that older Americans who suffered most at the beginning should be first in line for a live-saving vaccine, along with the people who care for them and other tireless healthcare workers.
Read more about The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), LeadingAge, Argentum and the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) joint statement here: http://blog.argentum.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-distribution-joint-statement?utm_campaign=COVID-19&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101370835&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Ak1gFbi47bmXRpAOCUQ1AzjhN1sxVsnrLPUbDt7_9zcP9kYeaAb2KGUYS1OFcHBS4yoj1tZWFPJ7gLdzmAFty5D4o1g&utm_content=101370835&utm_source=hs_email
For more information for when your local Wickshire Senior Living community will be administering the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit www.wickshireseniorliving.com and contact us today.