Stafford Assisted Living Facility To Vaccinate Seniors And Staff

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — An assisted living facility in Stafford Township will offer the COVID-19 vaccine to its senior residents and staff members beginning Thursday.

The vaccines are provided by CVS and Walgreens, whose staff will travel to all 291 nursing homes in the state to give out the injections on site, using the Pfizer vaccine.

A survey conducted by LCB Senior Living, the assisted living company overseeing the Residence at Stafford, found over 90 percent of their residents want to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Ted Doyle, a spokesperson for LCB Senior Living.

“It’s been tough on everybody, so to have this in front of us is a Godsend. The knowledge that there’s an increasing level of safety every single day. I think everyone in the whole world feels that,” Doyle told Patch.

The arrival of the vaccine comes at a time when long-term care facilities and nursing homes across the state reported a spike in coronavirus cases and fatalities. The New Jersey Department of Health released data Monday that show New Jersey had a 132 percent increase in cases associated with outbreaks since Nov. 16 and a 62 percent increase in deaths.

According to county-by-county data, Ocean County reported the highest increase in death rates in long-term care facilities and nursing homes over the 45-day period. The Residence at Stafford, formerly Atria Senior Living at Stafford, reported three positive cases and zero fatalities over the 45-day period.

Doyle said the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is the “light at the end of the tunnel” for LCB Senior Living's residents, who are an average age of 85, and also for staff members who work closely with residents in the assisted living facilities.

“There’s a jump in everybody’s step. The staff all performed marvelously. What a mission it is to do what they do, but it’s been very hard too,” Doyle said.

The Pfizer vaccines, which require two injections spaced 28 days apart, will be administered at the Residence at Stafford on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Residence at Stafford serves 70 residents with 65 staff members.

The Residence at Stafford’s Executive Director, Farryn Harte, said both residents and staff members will receive the vaccinations on Thursday. Harte estimates that the facility will receive about 140 doses to ensure all participants get a vaccination.

Harte has seen a change in morale among both residents and staff when the shipment of the coronavirus vaccines was announced.

“All our residents and staff are very thankful,” Harte said. “The staff are very thankful that we’ve been given the opportunity to be in the 1A grouping.”

Resident Marie Gratzer is looking forward to receiving the vaccination on Thursday.

“The virus is a deadly disease and I certainly don’t want to put myself in jeopardy,” Gratzer said. “Anybody receiving this vaccine for the first time is a little apprehensive as to what the outcome is going to be. We just hope it’s going to be effective.”

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