Cappella of Grand Junction Registered for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Posted: December 11, 2020

Update 1/29/21

First In-Community Vaccine Clinic Date

Wednesday, February 10th   Walgreens Pharmacy – Pfizer Vaccine

The COVID vaccine is now available in the United States and Cappella of Grand Junction is ready to receive the vaccine to protect residents and associates in our community as soon as it becomes available to us. As a CLC Community, Cappella of Grand Junction is registered for the first phase of the vaccine. Priority distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will go to seniors and healthcare workers who are at the most risk of contracting the virus. We remain in constant communication with the Colorado Department of Health, the CDC, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as details of the distribution process continue to develop.

We want to share with you what we know now about the vaccine, how it will be distributed, what we are doing to keep associates, residents, and families informed about the process, and our continued commitment to testing, virus mitigation, and the overall quality of life for residents.

When can residents of Cappella of Grand Junction expect to receive the vaccine?

The FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine and Moderna vaccine and the federal government will distribute the vaccine to the states for inoculations. The soonest vaccines could be administered in Colorado would be December 21st for Pfizer and December 28th for Moderna.

How will Cappella of Grand Junction residents and team members get the vaccine?

Colorado, as well as each state, has its own specific timeline and process for distribution and administration of the vaccine. Colorado has decided to use Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine.

So far Colorado will receive 47,000 Pfizer vaccines, which will be distributed to all healthcare workers (180,000) and skilled nursing facility residents (15,000). About 25% of those two populations can be served on the first shipment of the vaccine. We anticipate Colorado will support and follow the CDC tier guidelines for distribution but that has not yet been confirmed.

Cappella of Grand Junction is registered with the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program. We will work with our assigned pharmacy, Walgreens, who will store, distribute, and administer the vaccine, which is free of charge to residents and team members. The pharmacy will also:

• Order vaccines and associated supplies (e.g., syringes, needles, personal protective equipment).
• Ensure cold chain management for the vaccine.
• Report all required vaccination data to the local, state, and federal jurisdictions within 72 hours of administering each dose.
• Adhere to all applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) COVID-19 testing requirements.

Cappella of Grand Junction will not have any authority over setting up the time and dates of those vaccinations. The Pharmacy will be in charge of scheduling and the availability of the vaccine. The pharmacy will then come to our community to administer the vaccines to residents and associates. Three visits over approximately two months will likely be needed to administer both doses and vaccinate new residents and team members. If the resident or team member receives the Pfizer vaccine they must wait 21 days before receiving their second dose. If the resident or team member receives the Moderna vaccine then they must wait 28 days before their second dose. The vaccine starts to become effective 2 weeks after the second dose has been administered.

Some of the details of how and when and who will get the vaccine first are still being worked out. At the moment, we believe team members will be included and that the first tier to receive the vaccine will be residents of skilled nursing, memory care and assisted living communities. We are waiting to hear if residential (independent) living residents and team members will also be included in the first-tier distribution.

Even through the vaccine is right around the corner we are not out of this pandemic yet. It is important to continue to follow public safety guidelines including physical distancing, frequent hand-washing, limiting group gatherings, restricting nonessential travel, and wearing a mask while we wait for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Watch a recorded FB Live event from CLC President and CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem and clinical experts as they separate vaccine fact from fiction