Baker: Next up, those at congregate care sites
Beginning Monday, roughly 94,000 people living and working in congregate care settings like group homes, shelters, residential treatment programs and correctional facilities will start to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as the state continues its effort to blunt the impact of the coronavirus.
The plans come as the state reported another grim milestone, surpassing 13,000 deaths in the state from the virus on Wednesday.
Congregate care settings, where people live and work in close proximity to others and where residents sometimes have complex medical needs, have been prioritized to become eligible for the vaccine as part of the first phase of the state’s vaccination plan, and the governor’s announcement that shots for many will begin Monday came as a relief to care providers and family members.
Diane Gould, president and CEO of Advocates, said her organization serves people who have intellectual and physical disabilities, autism, serious mental health conditions, and substance use problems. She said the last several months have been particularly difficult for the people her organization serves.
“We’re very excited about this plan, as are the families we support. In fact, we had a family forum just last night in which we provided education and answered questions, and to a person, family members spoke about their immense relief and appreciation that their loved ones would soon be vaccinated,” she said. “All in all, this is going extremely well. It is a bright light in what has otherwise been a very dark time.”
Some congregate care facilities that have enrolled in the Federal Pharmacy Partnership (FPP) Program with CVS and Walgreens have already begun the vaccination process, Gov. Charlie Baker said, but Monday will mark the beginning of inoculation for about 3,500 sites, plus the corrections system.
“These facilities are prioritized because they serve vulnerable populations in densely populated settings, which means they’re at significant risk for contracting COVID-19,” Baker said. “The staff are also high risk for exposure at these facilities, and many of them do amazing work and it’s important that they’re vaccinated to protect themselves and their families.”
For non-correctional congregate care facilities, there are three options for residents and staff to become vaccinated. First, organizations that have the ability to do so can “selfadminister” the vaccine to their residents and staff if they meet the state’s criteria and plan to vaccinate at least 200 people. In cases like that, the program would receive the vaccine doses directly from the Department of Public Health.
Programs that have existing relationships with pharmacies, hospitals or other providers for things like annual flu shots can arrange to have residents and staff vaccinated through those partnerships. In those cases, DPH will allocate doses directly to the clinical partner.
The third option is to have residents and staff of congregate care centers receive their shots at one of the mass vaccination sites that are expected to be established. The one announced so far, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, is also serving first responders starting Monday with the initial capacity to deliver just 300 shots per day.
“We are working with each provider on the entirety of their congregate care and shelter site lists to make sure that every provider and every site, whether they were matched to the FPP or not, has a vaccination administration plan under development,” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said. “Our programs have different clinical capacity partnerships and serve residents with different needs, which requires us to employ a range of strategies. One size does not fit all.”
For facilities operated by the state Department of Correction, about 6,500 inmates and 4,500 officers and staff members are expected to get the vaccine in the three weeks following Monday, Baker said.
Inmates will get their vaccines from Wellpath, DOC’s medical provider, and employees will be able to get vaccinated at regional vaccine sites the state is working to establish.
In county houses of correction, in-house medical staff will administer the jabs.
Baker also announced Wednesday that residents and staff at public and private low-income and affordable senior housing around Massachusetts have been moved up to the first step of Phase Two of the vaccine distribution plan, which means they are now expected to get vaccinated sometime in February.