After running two Moderna vaccine clinics, Columbine Manor Care Center has successfully vaccinated all its residents for COVID-19. Additionally, as of the second clinic held on February 3, approximately 50 percent of the staff have received the vaccine. Newly admitted residents will have vaccines made available through visits from health department nurses.
Life Care Centers of America (LCCA), which runs Columbine, was participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, which would facilitate on-site vaccination of residents and staff at more than 70,000 enrolled long-term care facilities through pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, as well as local pharmacies in the Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. network. However, Columbine Manor has been working with the Chaffee County Public Health Department to run their clinics.
“I can’t say enough good about the Chaffee County Public Health Department,” says Amy Gaidies, Executive Director at Columbine Manor Care Center. “They have been wonderful to work with and quick to respond.”
The clinics have offered both doses of the Moderna vaccine for residents and associates who were interested. While not all staff have been vaccinated so far, those without the vaccine are still able to work in the facility.
“Although we are not requiring vaccination, we do encourage it and have been educating our staff,” says Gaides. Columbine saw a COVID-19 outbreak early on in the pandemic. While they had a few staff cases during the holidays, they are currently clear.
“We are currently testing staff once a week, as long as the county’s positivity rate remains below 10 percent,” adds Gaidies. “If it rises, we will test twice a week. If an exposure or outbreak has been identified in our building, we will test residents as well. in accordance with the guidance from CMS, the CDC, and the local and state health departments.”
LCCA reports fairly even vaccination rates between their rural and urban facilities. At their first clinics in the Denver Metro area, the average vaccination rate was 59% for associates and 78% for residents. In more rural care centers, the average rate was 51% for associates and 82% for residents.
“We anticipate that those numbers will increase with the second and third clinics,” says Michelle Shockey, Division Director of Clinical Services for Life Care Centers of America’s Mountain States Division. “Whether rural or urban, our facilities have had a pretty consistent approach to the pandemic as we follow Life Care policies, which include state and federal requirements.”
According to Shockey, differences in facilities’ approaches are driven by variances in guidance from local health departments.
Columbine Manor is still unsure whether the rollout of vaccines in the facility and in the community will have an impact on visitation and socialization.
“We are waiting for further information from the governor’s office,” says Gaidies. “However, higher numbers of vaccination correlate with fewer numbers of cases, and when the case counts go down in the community, with the blessing of the state and local health departments, we hope to resume indoor visits with appropriate precautions, such as social distancing, guest screening, and mask-wearing.”
Gaidies feels the community has rallied around the care center over the pandemic. “Our residents’ families have been very understanding about the precautions we are taking, and many of them do a great job at keeping in touch with their loved ones,” she says. “We have families who come every day to do window visits, despite the cold, and other families who have standing appointments for video chats.”
Columbine had carolers visit during the holidays and received new iPads early on in the pandemic to help curb isolation through video calls. “We have been trying to do all sorts of things to lift spirits in our building as we try to keep everyone safe,” Gaidies says. “As we are cleared to begin more group activities, our residents will enjoy being able to socialize more with each other in activities and meals.”
Gaidies does feel there’s been a general shift in morale since the second vaccine clinic. “The attitude among our residents has been more positive. They’re grateful for the opportunity they had to get the vaccine.”
Featured image: Amy Gaidies, Executive Director at Columbine Manor Care Center, receives her first vaccination from Tanya Wait, RN with the Chaffee County Department of Health. Courtesy of Heidi Pino at Life Care Centers of America.
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