As nursing homes wait for COVID-19 vaccines, they face dire staffing, financial challenges
The New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Geoff Forester
Published: 12/15/2020 3:33:14 PM
Hope for the end of the pandemic has arrived in New Hampshire as the state begins to distribute more than 12,000 vaccines. Nursing homes in the state, however, are still grappling with the ongoing fallout from outbreaks that have ravaged their facilities and are wondering when their vaccines will arrive.
Many doses in the first wave of vaccines are expected to go to front line workers in long term care facilities. Yet several nursing homes in the Granite State say they’ve been left in the dark about when their staff will receive the shots. Patricia Ramsey, the owner of Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth, said several nursing homes including her own haven’t been contacted to schedule vaccination appointments.
FEMA sending staff to assist at some New Hampshire long-term care facilities
National Guard also assisting Updated: 7:03 PM EST Dec 15, 2020
National Guard also assisting Updated: 7:03 PM EST Dec 15, 2020
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Show Transcript VACCINE NOW SOME FACILITIES ARE , GETTING HELP IN THE FORM OF EXTRA HANDS, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. HAPPY TO HAVE NURSES STAY. REPORTER: MUCH NEEDED HELP FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOWING UP TO SOME OF NEW HAMPSHIRE’S LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES THIS MONTH. FEMA SENDING TEN UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES AND TWO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUPPORT STAFF TO FACILITIES IN HANOVER, MANCHESTER AND BEDFORD. HANOVER TERRACE SAYS 4 REGISTERED NURSES STARTED WORK TODAY AND CAN STAY FOR UP TO 30 DAYS. FIVE RESIDENTS HAVE DIED FROM COVID-19 THERE AND MORE THAN 60 RESIDENTS HAVE THE VIRUS. I HAVE SOME STAFF MEMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE WITHOUT A DAY OFF SINCE THE OUTBREAK BEGAN. THIS WILL BE A NICE BREAK FOR THEM TO BE ABLE
Although workers and residents of nursing homes rank among the highest priority for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, nursing homes wonât be getting the vaccine until next week at the earliest, and some must wait until January, nursing home officials said on Monday.
Thatâs because nursing homes are outside of the state-operated distribution system that started in earnest on Monday when state workers took possession of 12,675 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Nursing homes are part of a separate distribution system established under a public-private partnership involving the Trump administration and pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens, said Brendan Williams, president and chief-executive of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, the trade group that represents most of the stateâs nursing homes.
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