OPINION:
From the earliest days of planning for the development of a COVID-19 vaccination, those working in our nation’s congregate-care settings for seniors — including assisted-living communities — were prioritized to receive it. Rightfully so; the population these workers serve has been universally identified as being among the most vulnerable to the virus.
In the first months of the pandemic, a common criticism was that there was insufficient attention and resources given to long-term care settings, and there was outsized attention paid to hospitals. Whether it be personal protective equipment, staffing or financial assistance, hospitals were always first in line. Perhaps that was appropriate to some extent, but not to the detriment of other vulnerable sectors. Adult-care facilities and assisted-living residences continue to suffer from a lack of resources and a potentially high incidence of COVID-19 among the frailest of our seniors.
That’s why we are baffled that now, weeks into the vaccination process, not one assisted-living staffer or resident has received the vaccine. We understand that there is limited supply and the decision has been made to vaccinate other populations first. But how is it that funeral directors, hospital discharge planners, firefighters and other front-line staff have begun receiving the vaccine but assisted-living workers have not? More shocking are recent reports that hospitals are hoarding the vaccine for their staffs and rejecting pleas to offer it to other critical health-care workers in the community.
This is unconscionable and illogical considering the vulnerable resident populations served in asssited-living facilities. Vaccines should be made available to assisted-living staff and residents immediately. If they are not, New York unnecessarily risks a repeat of the large number of nursing-home deaths that occurred at the start of the pandemic.
LISA NEWCOMB
Executive director
Empire State Association of Assisted Living (ESAAL)
Clifton Park, N.Y.
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