NEWBURGH, Ind. (WEHT)– The executive director of The Village at Hamilton Pointe said they can’t let their guard down even though it’s one of the first nursing homes in Indiana to get the Moderna vaccine.
“To get better we have to keep moving,” said Shawn Cates, executive director of The Village at Hamilton Pointe. “Sitting still is not the answer.”
Residents of The Village at Hamilton Pointe in Newburgh had the chance to get the Moderna vaccine. Eyewitness News cameras were allowed to watch the process through a window.
“CVS showed up with a team of immunizers they brought all the equipment and PPE. We collaborated with them on consent forms and operationalizing the process. It’s been busy but the staff have responded well, the residents have been responding well, and we are looking forward to the future,” explained Cates. He said the CVS team will be back two more times after the beginning of the new year. They will have to return in a month to give everyone their second shot. “It does take the second dose to be immunized so we don’t want to get a false sense of security.”
Cates said even though almost all of their residents should have received their first shot, they are still continuing to test and screen their staff while following all of the state health department’s guidelines.
“It is a sense of relief, a sense of hope. With that being said, you want to be careful not to put too much faith in that and become dismissive or irresponsible with your lack of infection control,” Cates said. He explained the healthcare team from CVS will be focused on vaccinating the residents first.
Any of the nursing home’s staff who hasn’t been vaccinated already from a local hospital, may have to wait a month to get their first shot at the nursing home. He said so far the staff who got their shots before Christmas are doing well.
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(This story was originally published on December 28, 2020)
