Jefferson City nursing home starts coronavirus vaccinations
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Residents and staff of the Jefferson City Manor nursing home began receiving coronavirus vaccinations Wednesday.
Ben Scheulen, CEO of JMS Senior Living, said vaccinations started at 9 a.m. Wednesday and ended at 5 p.m.
Walgreens set up a clinic on-site at JC Manor and all residents and staff who want the vaccine was able to receive it. Scheulen said the facility sent out consent forms to all residents, their families and staff. Residents and staff with signed consent forms received the vaccine Wednesday.
The nursing home has about 60 residents and 75 staff, Scheulen said.
Scheulen said about half of the residents are willing to get the vaccine but others are hesitant and want more information. Walgreens will hold two additional on-site clinics at JC Manor over the next few months. Scheulen said Walgreens will return 28 days from the first round and again 28 days after the second round. Scheulen believes in the second round more residents will be willing to get the vaccine after seeing how their fellow residents are doing and getting more information on the vaccines.
“I think there is a lot of excitement in just getting everybody lined up and getting the little in-the-clinic setup inside of the facility, just takes a little bit," Scheulen said. "It’s all new to everyone so we’re learning as we go... Overall the excitement level is pretty high in the facilities and residents and staff are all really looking forward to getting this over with."
The federal government has contracted with Walgreens and CVS to vaccinate nursing home residents and workers. The nursing home vaccinations use the Moderna vaccine, which doesn't require the ultra-cold storage of Pfizer's vaccine.
Older people are at higher risk of the worst and potentially deadly complications from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. At JC Manor, the disease has claimed 11 victims since the pandemic began, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Citing that danger, Missouri has limited visits to nursing home residents and put residents and workers in the first phase of the state's vaccination campaign.
Scheulen said most of JC Manor's buildings were hit hard with COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.
"Out of our nine buildings we have one left that hasn’t had a large outbreak with residents inside the facility," he said. "Every other one of them has had a level of outbreak whether it’s been 90% of the residents or some of them it may be 25 to 30% of the residents, every building pretty much has been hit at some point in time."
The problem at JC Manor intensified in November and December, Scheulen said, coinciding with a record surge in cases and deaths nationwide.
Residents and families have been feeling the absence of their loved ones since JC Manor had to shut down visitation for COVID-19 safety. JC Manor compares local state and county data of COVID cases within the area to determine how to provide visitation to residents.
Due to the high cases within the area, JC Manor is not allowing any visitors. Scheulen said some residents have been allowed to visit with family outdoors or through a window screening.
Schulen said this vaccine provides some light at the end of the tunnel and gives a better hope to start providing visitation again soon.
“Everyone needs to be patient with us and understand that this vaccine is going to help reopen the facilities at some point in time, but it’s not going to be an immediate issue, it’s going to take time," Scheulen said. "While I know that I believe this vaccine helps show that there’s a light at the end of this tunnel, we’re not at the end of the tunnel yet. We've still got a ways to go.”
