Nursing Home Residents Vaccinated for COVID

  • December 28, 2020

Local Vaccinations for Phase 1c Start Tuesday

Paul Sanders, a resident at The Neighborhoods at Brookview, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Nursing Supervisor Vicki Creswell, RN. Brookings Health began administering vaccination doses to nursing home residents today following Phase 1b of the South Dakota Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. Tomorrow Brookings Health will begin offering vaccinations to Phase 1c individuals, including other healthcare workers not included in Phase 1a, emergency medical services and local law enforcement.
Paul Sanders, a resident at The Neighborhoods at Brookview, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Nursing Supervisor Vicki Creswell, RN. Brookings Health began administering vaccination doses to nursing home residents today following Phase 1b of the South Dakota Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. Tomorrow Brookings Health will begin offering vaccinations to Phase 1c individuals, including other healthcare workers not included in Phase 1a, emergency medical services and local law enforcement.

Today Brookings Health System began administering initial vaccination doses to nursing home residents at The Neighborhoods at Brookview, following Phase 1b of the South Dakota Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan.

“We are hopeful that vaccinations will become a turning point for our residents, families and team members,” said Long Term Care Administrator Jason Hanssen. “To that end, we must still exercise caution and keep infection control restrictions in place for the safety and well-being of our residents. We will continue to follow the pandemic guidelines outlined by the Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.”

The doses come from the state’s allotment of 14,600 Moderna-manufactured vaccines the state received following the FDA’s emergency use authorization. In addition to nursing home residents, tomorrow Brookings Health will begin offering vaccinations following Phase 1c which comprises other healthcare workers not included in Phase 1a, emergency medical services, and local law enforcement.

As more doses become available, the Department of Health will plan and coordinate the opportunity for additional Phase 1 subgroups to receive the vaccine; additional information and guidance will be released at that time. Phase 2 of the Department of Health’s plan will make vaccines widely available to the general public. Depending on vaccine supply, the Department of Health hopes to initiate Phase 2 in April or May.

The COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help stop the pandemic. Combining the vaccination with mask wearing, social distancing, frequent hand washing and other tools gives the best opportunity to stop COVID-19’s spread. More information about local efforts to fight COVID-19 and the vaccine can be found online at brookingshealth.org/COVID.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.