MD Nursing Home Residents, Staff Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Residents and staff at a Baltimore County long-term care facility were among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine Wednesday through a partnership with CVS Health and Maryland nursing homes.

With the media present, two residents and three staff members at Franklin Woods Center were given the vaccine to prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Afterward, pharmacists went into the short-term rehabilitation and long-term care facility near Rosedale to vaccinate the rest of the staff and residents who wanted the vaccine.

Gov. Larry Hogan was there to mark the start of vaccination clinics at the state's nursing homes along with Health Facilities Association of Maryland President Joe DeMattos.

While others may have received the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this week, a spokesperson for the governor said this was the first Maryland nursing home vaccine clinic conducted in partnership with CVS Health through a program overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Today marks an incredible turning point in our fight against COVID-19," said Hogan, who has activated the National Guard to respond to coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes, which have seen a disproportionate number of fatalities from COVID-19 nationwide.

About 51 percent of Maryland's deaths from the virus have occurred in nursing homes, group homes and assisted living facilities, despite the fact that they account for less than 10 percent of the state's confirmed cases.

Here is the state health data as of Wednesday, Dec. 23:

• More than 2,700 people in Maryland nursing homes, group homes and assisted living facilities have died from COVID-19.
• Statewide 5,402 Marylanders have died from COVID-19.
• Nursing homes, group homes and congregate living facilities have reported 24,693 cases.
• There are 257,862 cases of the virus statewide.

“We have taken more aggressive action than any other state in our efforts to protect the residents of our nursing homes,” Hogan said in a statement Wednesday.

In the fall, the Maryland Department of Health ordered universal testing at nursing homes for both residents and staff and restricted visitation.

“Though we know this is a difficult time of year for people to be apart from their loved ones," said Hogan, "it is another moment of hope in this long battle.”

Those who received vaccinations Wednesday at Franklin Woods included:

• Executive Director of Franklin Woods Center Brian Klausmeyer
• Registered Nurse and Center Nurse Executive Donna Jones
• Geriatric Nurse Assistant Davenia Kemp
• Resident Samuel Cushing, 70
• Resident Kareleen Diggs, 95

"The vaccine is now our most important tool in fighting this pandemic — together with personal protective equipment, frequent testing and our rigorous standards and infection protocols," said Dr. JoAnne Reifsnyder, chief nursing officer for Genesis HealthCare, the parent company of Franklin Woods.

"As the COVID-19 vaccine reaches more residents and staff," Reifsnyder said, "this is yet another historic moment."

Related:

• CVS Health COVID-19 Vaccines in Long-Term Care Facilities
• 95-Year-Old WWII Vet Gets Vaccine At Loch Raven VA Medical Center
• Moderna Begins Shipping 100K COVID-19 Vaccines To Maryland
• 5 Health-Care Workers In Maryland Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
• Coronavirus Vaccine: How Will MD Distribute It? Hogan Shares Plan

This article has been updated to reflect that more than five people were vaccinated Wednesday at Franklin Woods Center; only five were in the public eye during a media event.