Building a successful vaccination program for long term care providers is a mix of deploying both new and tried-and-true strategies and practices to ensure vital immunizations take place. Nursing staff in care communities are putting the COVID-19 vaccination debate to rest as much as possible and focusing anew on giving residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living communities the support they need to get “shots in the arm” and hopefully avoid outbreaks of flu, RSV, pneumonia, and yes, COVID-19.
Running every year from approximately October to February, the vaccination season exists in conjunction with the respiratory virus season and marks an annual test for clinical staff in nursing facilities to prevent infectious disease outbreaks. For assisted living communities, the season can be more about streamlining access for residents, often through pharmacies operating clinics on campuses.
In speaking to vaccine delivery experts, a leading national pharmacy, and two operators experiencing higher than average vaccination uptake rates, it is clear there are lessons to be learned for all caregivers. Whether you are a community, vendor, resident, staff member, or family member, the fundamental goal—especially after the COVID-19 pandemic—is for residents to stay updated on their vaccinations for the big infection threats such as COVID-19 and flu. Other non-annual vaccine programs cover RSV, pneumonia, tuberculosis, Tdap, and shingles, among others.
To understand what works and what does not, DeeAndra Sandgren, chief nursing officer at Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, explains how the nonprofit’s successful vaccination efforts, particularly in SNFs in North Dakota and South Dakota, demand a building-wide effort built on trust and communication.
“We really try to make the vaccine clinics a big day. We are in rural locations, and we work with the local pharmacy to help and do these shot clinics,” Sandgren said. The buildings that have had more success than others at vaccination uptake are usually reflective of staff efforts to engage residents, families, and team members on the importance of getting vaccines, she explained. An 80 percent flu vaccine uptake for residents is the norm for Good Samaritan.
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