Eight Lancaster, PA, senior living communities banded together Tuesday in announcing a COVID-19 staff vaccination requirement in the “best interest of everyone in our individual communities, as well as the broader Lancaster community and beyond.”
In a joint statement, the communities acknowledged how quickly the spread of the coronavirus can affect the lives of residents. The recent spread of the delta variant, the dramatic increase in the local positivity rate (11%), full authorization of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and an Aug. 18 federal vaccine mandate for long-term care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid prompted the announcement, they said.
“We agree with the recommendations of the [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] and [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] that vaccination of all staff is now necessary to combat this highly contagious delta variant,” the statement read. “We believe that the COVID-19 vaccine provides a safe and effective way to help prevent severe illness, hospitalizations, death and the spread of the virus. A vaccinated workforce is far less likely to infect residents, fellow employees and their families.”
All of the communities indicated that, before the announcement, they “strongly encouraged” employees and residents to receive the vaccine and that they provided “countless hours of education to overcome vaccine hesitancy among employees.” The Lancaster County area is home to the country’s largest settlement of Amish people, who generally are less likely to be vaccinated than the general population.
Companies that signed on to the effort were Brethren Village, Garden Spot Communities, Landis Communities, Luthercare, Mennonite Home Communities, Moravian Manor Communities, Tel Hai Retirement Community and Willow Valley Communities.
They said the plan for mandatory inoculation was developed before President Biden’s Sept. 9 announcement of proposed rules requiring vaccination and testing by private sector employers with 100 or more workers.
Deadlines for the jabs vary by community — Brethren Village employees, agency staff, contracted staff and volunteers must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 31. Willow Valley, which has a 72% staff inoculation rate, gave a Nov. 15 and said it will hold additional onsite COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Moravian Manor Communities, which as a 76% staff vaccination rate, gave a Nov. 8 deadline. Garden Spot Communities, Mennonite Home Communities and Tel Hei Retirement Community have a Nov. 30 deadline.
Landis Communities announced a four-step implementation plan but did not indicate a timeline, to allow “appropriate time and consideration” before moving to a next phase. Luthercare, which announced a vaccination mandate Aug. 10, required its employees to be inoculated or receive the first dose by Sept. 15.
More mandates
On Thursday, Denver-based Spectrum Retirement Communities announced a vaccine requirement for its independent living, assisted living and memory care community employees, as well as for third-party providers who work in or visit communities. The senior living provider has 4,199 residents living across 41 communities in nine states.
“We are still very much fighting this pandemic. Science and facts conclude that our newest and best weapon is the vaccine,” Spectrum President and Chief Operating Officer Bradley Kraus said in a statement. “This is a fight that cannot be fought and won by any one person; we are all safer when we are all vaccinated.”
Kraus said the vaccine mandate decision was made to further protect the health and safety of residents and employees.
“We have been on the front lines and have seen the impact this pandemic has had on our world,” he said. “We have an obligation to prevent further devastation, and we must seize this opportunity.”
Booster access
Atria Senior Living announced Wednesday that it is continuing its “Sleeve Up Atria” vaccine initiative by partnering with CVS Health to offer both the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 booster shot, if and when available, to residents and employees at on-site clinics.
The company said it has a 99% staff member and resident COVID-19 vaccination rate.
“When and if the booster shot is approved and recommended, we would aim for high participation as we did with the vaccine, continuing our commitment to creating safe places to live and work,” Atria Chairman and CEO John Moore told McKnight’s Senior Living.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Friday voted 16-2 against recommending the approval of booster doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for the general public, saying it needed more data. But the group unanimously approved a second, narrower recommendation for booster shots for older adults and individuals at high risk for severe disease, including healthcare workers. The FDA does not have to accept the panel’s recommendations and still must weigh in on authorizing booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine. If the FDA approves the boosters, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday, then will refine the recommendation on who should receive the shots.
