Wyckoff's Christian Health Care, CVS Partner For COVID Vaccine

WYCKOFF, NJ — Christian Health Care Centers, the Wyckoff-based long term care facilities, have partnered with CVS to distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccinations.

According to an announcement on the CHCC website, CVS will handle storage, transportation and scheduling in addition to administering the vaccine on-site.

"We are confident in our partnership with CVS for the distribution of the vaccine – free of charge – to our residents, patients, and staff," CHCC officials said, in the statement.

According to the announcement, the first round of vaccines could come as early as the last week of December, but no official date has been announced.

"While we wait for and confirm this information, we are developing plans to safely, efficiently, and promptly roll out vaccine administration," officials said.

A missed deadline is likely the reason nursing home vaccinations can't begin sooner.

According to a recent Patch report, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said this weekend that New Jersey nursing homes were supposed to submit paperwork for approval by Dec. 7th so the vaccinations could start by Monday. But they missed the deadline by a day.

Now, the vaccinations can't start until Dec. 28th.

READ MORE: No Nursing Home COVID-19 Vaccines On Monday; NJ Missed Deadline

CHCC reports no active COVID-19 cases among its residents as of Monday, though one "team member" from Heritage Manor — one of four CHCC facilities — has tested positive for COVID-19, and remains quarantined at home, officials said.

Though case numbers remain positive, visitation is restricted across the CHCC network. Officials, in a statement on their website, said they understand how hard that is during the holiday season.

"We recognize that visitation is important especially at this time of year. We thank you in advance for understanding and honoring our careful decision to prioritize your loved one’s health and safety as we continue to exercise an abundance of caution," officials said.

Here's how visits will work:

• CHCC will continue with telephone calls, texting, virtual visits, and window visits.
• Essential caregiver visits will be limited to one visit per week for no more than two hours.
• Compassionate care visits are permitted on a "limited basis."
• Hospice and end-of-life visitation will be limited to those who fit the "End of Life" criteria, based on a physician's assessment. Restrictions apply, but with case-by-case allowances.