Home Care Vaccination Update
LeadingAge NY, working with partners Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) and New York State Association of Health Care Providers (HCP), has issued a survey to ascertain the number of home care workers currently unvaccinated in the state. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), as well as regional hub contacts, are asking for these numbers in order to tailor their vaccine efforts to serve this specific population. If you or someone on your staff has not already completed the survey, please do so by Feb. 17th. Please complete the survey for each licensed agency you operate.
LeadingAge NY is also working with our home care association colleagues and regional hub contacts to develop ways to identify homebound individuals and plan for efficient vaccination of this population. Members with strategies and recommendations in mind are urged to contact our office.
The NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation will be establishing COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the five boroughs specifically for home care workers. They will be setting up some protocols for agencies to sign up their staff. LeadingAge NY will inform members of this information when it becomes available.
NYC DOHMH is scheduling some Home Care Worker Town Halls starting next week. Firm details have yet to be released. The town halls will be an opportunity for workers to engage in conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine and address any hesitations they may have on the subject. They plan to have sessions in English, Spanish, and Russian and are looking into possible sessions in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Haitian Creole. NYC staff are seeking a few home care ambassadors to join the presentation to offer a worker-to-worker viewpoint on the vaccination process to encourage uptake of the vaccine and battle hesitancy. Please reach out immediately to Meg Everett if you have a staff member to recommend.
Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-929-9342