Commack's Gurwin Jewish Now Vaccinating Assisted Living Residents

COMMACK, NY — Residents and staff of Commack-based Gurwin Jewish- Fay J. Lindner Residences assisted living community began receiving the coronavirus vaccine earlier this week, Gurwin Healthcare System announced in a news release. They received their first dose of the two-dose BioNTech Pfizer vaccine.

Walgreens, Gurwin’s pharmacy partner in providing the vaccine, had a number of pharmacists on hand to administer more than 200 doses on Monday. There are two additional clinics scheduled to complete the vaccination and to allow others who may have missed the first clinic to receive it. Residents and staff at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, the healthcare system’s 460-bed skilled nursing facility, received their first dose in December.

More than 50 percent of Gurwin’s assisted living community staff, and all but one resident, will have been vaccinated after the second clinic, set for Feb. 8.

"Our staff has done an amazing job in keeping our residents engaged and well," said Michael Letter, administrator/COO of the assisted living community. "Even though we’ve been able to have modified visiting sporadically, the vaccine is the first real step in being able to return to normalcy, and we are thankful to have been prioritized to receive the vaccine."

Visiting has been restricted at all assisted living and long-term care facilities since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic got into full swing. Visiting is dependent on new cases of COVID-19 among staff and residents. The vaccine is seen by Gurwin Jewish as a ray of hope towards fully reuniting families and returning residents to standard activities.