COVID-19 Status Update

Vaccine Fact or Fiction Video – December 2021

All of the COVID and vaccine information can be confusing. On December 15, 2021, Jill Vitale-Aussem, President and CEO of Holly Creek’s parent organization, Christian Living Communities, hosted a Facebook live event with two clinical experts, CLC Medical Director Dr. Erick Gomer, MD, and VP of Clinical and Compliance Pat McBride, RN, BSN, MSN. During their conversation, they separated out the facts and fiction about the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccines, and boosters, and shared what we are doing to balance health and happiness in our communities.

As of June 18, 2021, Holly Creek’s combined resident and team member vaccination rate is 88%.

3/12/21

A full and bustling dining room with laughter rising above the clank of silverware. A life-enrichment outing with every seat on the bus filled. A daughter having a quiet afternoon tea time with her mom. These are all things we long to hear and see in our community. As vaccination rates continue to improve we are working towards a phased re-opening to our community, to get back to pre-pandemic life, but with health and safety in mind.

At Holly Creek, we have a combined resident and team member vaccination rate of 92%.

As we await more direction from our federally and state-regulated neighborhoods of assisted living and skilled nursing, our clinical and operational teams have outlined how we can safely re-open our residential living (independent living) neighborhoods. Our approach continues to be a balance between health and happiness. We are committed to following best practices and proven virus mitigation protocols while expanding community life when it is safe to do so.

This grid is broken into an early phase three and a late phase three opening plan. As you can see at the top, everything depends on the combined vaccination rate of the community. Our community is working towards this plan, we have already made some changes in some areas. It may take us a little bit longer in other areas. Our commitment is to reach full re-opening of our community within the same standards as our surrounding community. We will do so cautiously as the health and well-being of everyone who lives and works at Holly Creek are paramount. As is spreading more joy and a return to normalcy for our vibrant community afforded us with our increasing vaccination rate. For more information about a specific area of interest, give us a call at (720) 575-1447.

Click to view grid.

1/18/21

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics Continue

Our next vaccine clinic is scheduled for January 27th. This will be the first opportunity for Residential Living & some Assisted Living residents to be vaccinated and will be the second vaccination for those Suites residents vaccinated. We encourage everyone to please submit their consent forms as soon as possible.

• Assisted Living & Memory Support, please email Eric Adolph, eadolph@clcmail.org
• Residential Living please email Heidi Schwandt, hschwandt@clcmail.org

The second clinic opportunity for those associated with the Timbers Skilled Nursing area and some Assisted Living residents and team members will be January 28th from 8 am -Noon. For those associated with the Timbers, this may be the last opportunity to receive a first vaccine dose. If you still need to turn in a consent form for yourself or a loved one, please email it to Shannon Todd, stodd@clcmail.org.

1/14/21

We are eagerly preparing for our first COVID-19 vaccine clinic for our residential, assisted and memory support neighborhoods of our community and the second clinics for our Suites at Holly Creek skilled nursing neighborhood.

Residential, Assisted & Memory Support Vaccine Clinic Date

Wednesday, January 27^th      

9am-5pm

Walgreens

Second Timbers Skilled Nursing Vaccine Clinic Date

Thursday, January 28^th

8am-Noon

Walgreens

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Plans

1/8/2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics Continue

We had strong participation in our first vaccine clinic, with most Suites skilled nursing residents and team members vaccinated, and enough vaccine to begin vaccinations in Alpine assisted living and Meadows memory support.  Our next clinic is scheduled for January 27^th.  This will be the first opportunity for Residential Living & some Assisted Living residents to be vaccinated, and will be the second vaccination for those Suites residents vaccinated this week.  We encourage everyone to please submit their consent forms as soon as possible.

• Assisted Living & Memory Support please email Eric Adolph, eadolph@clcmail.org
• Residential Living please email Heidi Schwandt, hschwandt@clcmail.org

1/4/2021
We are thrilled to share the good news with you that our Walgreens Pharmacy partner has set our COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic where we will receive the Pfizer vaccine for our Residential Living and Assisted Living neighborhoods. While there will be two opportunities to get your vaccines, we strongly encourage team members and residents to get vaccinated on the dates listed in Option #1 as we will have more vaccines in the community on those days.

Vaccine Option #1 (preferred dates):
First dose: Wednesday, January 27th from 9am – 5pm
Second dose: Wednesday, February 17th from 9am – 5pm

Vaccine Option #2:

First dose: Wednesday, February 17th from 9am – 5pm
Second dose: Wednesday, March 3rd from 9am – 5pm

We will need a current copy of each residents’ and employees’ insurance card and your vaccine consent form. The vaccine is free, however insurance may be charged for supplies and injection administration. If you do not have insurance, you will not be charged.
For RL individuals, the consent form and copy of insurance can be turned into Heidi Schwandt.
For AL individuals, the consent form and copy of insurance can be turned into Eric Adolph.
We now need everyone’s cooperation to be ready for this as we want to get everyone in our community vaccinated for the safety and well-being of everyone who lives and works here. We encourage everyone in our community to get the vaccine. We must reach a “herd immunity” both within our senior living community and in the broader community in which we are located for life to eventually return to normal. Until we reach a high percentage vaccination rate, we will all still need to continue wearing masks, socially distancing, and washing our hands.
Safety is top priority for not only our community but also for all of the scientists and health experts working on the vaccination effort. Like any vaccine, there may be minor side effects such as soreness, achiness, and potentially low-grade fever. A small number of people experience more serious side effects, but the percentages are low, and typically related to history of anaphylactic allergic reactions. We have a lot of useful information on our website and links to scientifically proven data.
We are excited about this good news, and we hope you are too!

12/22/2020

We are thrilled to share the good news with you that our Walgreens Pharmacy partner has set our first COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for at least a portion of our community.

Right now, we are anticipating inoculations for residents and team members of the Timbers skilled nursing neighborhood. We are advocating for the entire community to receive the vaccine at the same time, however it may come in phases. We will let you know more once we have details.

In the meantime, we now need everyone’s cooperation to be ready for this and future clinics as we want to get everyone in our community vaccinated for the safety and well-being of everyone who lives and works here. There will be a total of three clinics in each community. This ensures we can serve everyone who wants to receive a vaccination and stagger the vaccination schedule.

We encourage everyone in our community to get the vaccine. We must reach a “herd immunity” both within our senior living community and in the broader community we are located for life to eventually return to normal.
• The vaccine will begin to provide you protection about two weeks after your second vaccination.
• If you are vaccinated, you are being a good neighbor and protecting others by getting the vaccine.
• The more quickly we all are vaccinated, the faster we can begin to loosen restrictions and connect in person with each other again.
• Until we reach a high percentage vaccination rate, we will all still need to continue wearing masks, socially distancing, and washing our hands.

Many of you are eager to get the vaccine and put an end to this pandemic. Safety is top priority for not only our community but also for all of the scientists and health experts working on the vaccination effort. Like any vaccine, there may be minor side effects such as soreness, achiness, and potentially low-grade fever. A small number of people experience more series side effects, but the percentages are low, and typically related to history of anaphylactic allergic reactions. We have a lot of useful information on our website and links to scientifically proven data. Please take the time to learn more about the vaccine.

In this packet of information we have provided you the following:
1. A Frequently Asked Question document provided by the American Medical Director Association (AMDA)
2. The Pfizer and Moderna Vaccine information sheet (we do not know for certain which one we will be receiving)
3. A flyer about the myths and facts of the vaccine
4. The Walgreens consent form that must be filled out for every resident and team member. There is a responsible party consent form for applicable family members.

These forms can be sent the following people based on your/loved ones level of living.
a. Residential Living, Heidi Schwandt, hschwandt@clcmail.org
b. Assisted Living/Memory Support, Eric Adolph, eadolph@clcmail.org
c. Skilled Nursing, Shannon Todd, stodd@clcmail.org

Please get ready now. We will need a current copy of each resident and employee insurance card. If you do not have one, please get one. The vaccine is free, however insurance may be charged for supplies and injection administration. If you do not have insurance, you will not be charged.

We are excited about this good news. We hope you are too!

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Plans

Find our latest information on the vaccine here.

Frequently Asked Questions | 12.3.20

This Frequently Asked Questions document is intended to give information to residents, families, team members, and the general community regarding the status of rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine in our communities. Information is changing daily. There are times the federal directive and state directives are different. Christian Living Communities (CLC) – Cappella Living Solutions is committed to providing accurate information as timely as possible. This document will be updated and available as changes warrant. For vaccine-specific information, we request the CDC documents be shared.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has prioritized older adults and people working in Long-Term Care to be part of the first-tier to receive the vaccine. Will my loved one’s Community be included?

All CLC-Cappella communities are registered with the Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Initiative to be part of the vaccine’s first-tier distribution. At the moment, we believe this will include team members and residents of skilled nursing and assisted living communities. We are waiting to hear if residential (independent) living residents/team members will also be included in the first-tier distribution.

Where does the vaccine approval currently stand

Now that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved, the federal government has begun distribution to the states for inoculations. Each state will then set a state-specific timeline and process for vaccine distribution and administration. We anticipate all of the states we support will follow the CDC tier guidelines for prioritizing who will receive the vaccine first.

Once the states get the vaccine, how will it be distributed to Long-Term Care?

These are some of the details still being worked out. At this point, because all of our communities are registered in the federal pharmacy partnership, we will receive the vaccine through either CVS or Walgreens pharmacy or both. We anticipate the pharmacy teams coming to our communities to administer the vaccines to residents, working closely with our clinical teams. We are awaiting more details regarding team member vaccination.

How will the vaccine be rolled out in our Community?

We will begin by educating residents, families, and team members. The CDC has provided some information sheets that will be distributed and posted on websites to answer questions specifically around vaccine development, safety, and why getting the vaccine is beneficial. We will work with our assigned pharmacy, who will store, distribute, administered the vaccine. We anticipate the pharmacy will set up clinic dates and times for resident vaccinations. The pharmacies will also document and report our vaccine administration progress.

Once residents and team members are vaccinated, will restrictions be lifted?

Not immediately, but that is the goal. It will take time for the two-step vaccine process to be fully implemented therefore, we will still need to wear masks, socially distance, and follow clinical protocols until the Community and the surrounding cities and towns reach a majority of people being vaccinated. It takes up to two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine for each person to benefit from its protection.

What if my loved one or a team member refuses to be vaccinated?

The CLC-Cappella team is working to determine what options if any, will be offered to those refusing the vaccination. We will share more information when it’s available.

For vaccine-specific questions, please refer to the CDC handouts.

• • 8 Things to Know About Vaccine Planning
  • Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• LEARN MORE about how the CLC-Cappella Communities are prepared to receive COVID-19 Vaccine.

All residents and team members need to have their most current insurance cards. If you misplaced your insurance card please make sure you get a replacement card for yourself or your loved one as soon as possible, so the process moves forward as smoothly as possible.

Q: Will booster vaccines be available in communities?

A: Many communities are seeking to coordinate booster clinics for those vaccinated last winter and spring for COVID-19. Our goal is to provide onsite clinics eight months following the second round of vaccine shots that were offered in a community last winter.   We’ve partnered with local retail pharmacies and Pharmerica to provide onsite access.  With vaccines now so readily available at pharmacies, grocery stores, and medical offices, communities may also coordinate transportation as needed for residents to get their boosters.

What about immunocompromised residents?

In assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing neighborhoods, we are identifying residents whose health conditions qualify them for a third vaccine- a stronger dosage than the booster- and are offering third vaccines in conjunction with many of our booster clinics, or sooner where possible and needed. In residential living, we are educating residents who may have the following conditions of their option for a third vaccine:

• Active tumor treatment
• Organ donation recipient
• Immunosuppression therapy for stem cell or CAR-T-cell transplant
• Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency
• High-dose corticosteroid treatment

Q: How are visitors being screened?

A:  We screen everyone entering the building everyday immediately, including team members and essential care providers. Screening includes:

• Fever screening, we take temperatures of everyone, including team members
• Cough and/or shortness of breath
• Sore throat
• Any travel outside of country or state
• Identifying if they have visited another senior living community
• Questions on purpose of visit
• Once screening is complete, visitors must wash hands before visiting residents and after leaving the community

Q: Will CLC/Cappella require the vaccine for team members?

CLC & Cappella leadership has been discussing this weekly since the vaccine became available.  Ultimately, we feel it’s one of the most important steps we can take to protect resident and team member health, safety, and freedom in the communities we serve.  Fortunately, the majority of Cappella/CLC team members have already chosen to be vaccinated.

Two key factors tipped the scales.  First, the Delta variant causes more than twice as many infections per ill individual as earlier variants of COVID-19.  In fact, a recent study of by The American Health Care Association and The National Center for Assisted Living showed the higher team member vaccination rates, the lower the resident COVID-19 infection rate.  And for communities where team members were 100% vaccinated, resident COVID-19 deaths were nearly eliminated.

Second, with FDA approval for at least one vaccine, one of the key concerns expressed by team members about efficacy and safety has been more fully addressed.

By the end of August 2021, nearly half of senior living & healthcare organizations across the country were requiring vaccinations of team members.

All team members (other than those approved for exemption due to medical or religious reasons) volunteers, and business partners working in our communities must receive the full vaccine series for the COVID-19 virus by Friday, October 1st.

Q: What about residents or team members who already had COVID-19? Do they need to be vaccinated?

A: Unvaccinated individuals who were previously infected with COVID-19 but did NOT get vaccinated were more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 as those who had the illness AND were fully vaccinated, according to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.

What portions of residents are vaccinated? What about team members?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have begun publishing vaccination rates for nursing homes

https://data.cms.gov/covid-19/covid-19-nursing-home-data

See previous FAQs

You can view the last Legacy Community Town Hall Webinar from December 8th here.

Leadership reviewed a variety of topics such as holiday procedures and vaccine progress.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

State of Colorado: https://covid19.colorado.gov/