Northeast Florida nursing homes were expected to receive COVID-19 vaccines next week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nursing home residents and workers in Northeast Florida are expected to start receiving vaccines for COVID-19 as early as next week, according to the Florida Healthcare Association.

River City Rehabilitation Center in Jacksonville expects providers to set up a clinic on site to vaccinate 80 residents and staff on Monday, Dec. 21, according to facility administrator Connie Bend.

Facilities in Broward and Pinellas County were a priority this week and they have residents and staff already receiving vaccinations, unlike the rest of the state.

Both Walgreens and CVS of about 2,000 long-term care facilities across the state have signed up to receive vaccines, according to Florida Healthcare Association Association Director of Communications Kristen Knapp.

The vaccines are administered through COVID-19 vaccination clinics, based on site at each facility where a team of Department of Health or pharmacy representatives manage the vaccination process. Residents and staff are required to complete consent forms.

According to Florida Living Support Association CEO Veronica Catoe, over the next few weeks nursing homes are expected to go first and then help living facilities in the coming weeks.

Doug Atkins, owner of Day Day Village Inc. in Nassau County, says it expects more than 180 residents and workers in its systems to receive vaccinations before or shortly after the end of the year.

“It’s probably the days after Christmas to January 4, maybe the dates, you can see a lot of supported living facilities in Northeast Florida to get on with the vaccination,” he said. Atkins.

Jamie Glavich has a number of supported living facilities for Alzheimer’s patients in Mandarin and the Atlantic Beach. Glavich says another hurdle is buying it in from workers and residents to get the vaccine.

“I’ve been asking informally right now, and I probably have 30 residents and messengers – say 50 per cent – who say ‘yes, go for it,'” Glavich said. . “There are some workers who are a little bit scary just like everyone else in America right now.”