The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are set to be administered to residents at Heritage Ministries’ skilled nursing facilities in Chautauqua County this week.
Lisa Haglund, Heritage president and CEO, said the organization will receive the vaccines as part of the federal government’s partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Pharmacists from the two national chains are scheduled to go into long-term care facilities to administer the doses to residents and staff.
Locally, Haglund estimates it will take about 30 to 60 days to complete the vaccination process in the facilities that include residents and staff. In the county, Heritage has about 800 residents and between 800 and 1,000 total employees.
The first vaccines will be administered to residents at Heritage Park in Jamestown, Heritage Green in Greenhurst and Heritage Village in Gerry.
“We are reaching out to every family to gain permission to roll this out at our skilled nursing facilities,” Haglund said. “They are the most vulnerable, and a good percentage of them are signing up to keep their loved ones safe.”
Haglund said the organization has personal protective equipment in place for those handling the vaccinations and will have “protective measures in place” to ensure residents are monitored for any side effects after receiving a vaccine.
Continue reading this story where it was originally published by The Jamestown Post-Journal.