One-hundred percent of residents and staff of long-term and congregate care facilities eligible in Phase 1A for the COVID-19 vaccine via the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program have received the first dose, 70 percent have received their second dose, and 70 percent of personal care homes and assisted living residences enrolled in the program have received their first doses.
“Vaccinating residents and staff of long-term care and congregate care facilities – people who are often most at-risk of a severe case of COVID-19 if exposed – will protect our most vulnerable residents and, hopefully, reduce size and severity of outbreaks that have challenged congregate settings. This progress is a much-needed reprieve for long-term care facilities that have been particularly challenged by this pandemic,” said Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “We are incredibly grateful to the committed staff at these facilities for their perseverance over the last year and their continued dedication to safety and fighting COVID-19 as we move forward. We have a long way to go, but we must recognize and celebrate this progress.”
Residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes and assisted living residences are being vaccinated by CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership, and residents and staff of other DHS-licensed long-term and congregate care settings are getting COVID-19 vaccines through a partnership between DHS and Rite Aid.
Pennsylvania is participating in the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program in order to coordinate vaccinations for skilled nursing facilities, which are licensed by the Department of Health, as well as personal care homes, assisted living facilities, and intermediate care facilities for people with disabilities licensed by DHS.
Pennsylvanians living in these facilities enrolled in the federal program are receiving vaccines from CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens. As of Feb. 11, all skilled nursing facilities have had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine doses, and more than two-thirds of facilities statewide have had their second-round vaccine doses. More than 70 percent of personal care homes and assisted living facilities covered through the partnership have received their first round of vaccine doses, and CVS and Walgreens expect to finish first rounds before the end of the month.
Other long-term and congregate care settings included in Phase 1A of Pennsylvania’s Interim Vaccination Plan, including group homes for people with disabilities; residential treatment facilities and long-term structured residences for adults with behavioral health needs; and private psychiatric hospitals, are not included in the federal partnership but are still in Phase 1A due to the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate settings.
These settings serve people who have co-occurring medical needs that put them at higher risk of severe cases and death if they contract the virus. Some personal care homes and assisted living facilities also were not enrolled in the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program and may be served by the Rite Aid partnership for DHS-related facilities.
Vaccine clinics for these facilities are being held on-site for facilities where people served are not able to travel off-site. Additional clinics are being scheduled at centralized locations when possible to accommodate more facilities and community group homes, which are typically small, private residences.
Nearly 4,400 people have been vaccinated so far through this partnership. Approximately 7,000 people living and working in 1,800 licensed facilities and group homes will be vaccinated at 78 scheduled clinics over the next few days.
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