A new epidemic order has been issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), aimed at protecting aging populations in nursing homes from contracting COVID-19 by ensuring residents receive up-to-date information and access to vaccines where they stay.
War Memorial Hospital’s Long-term Care Unit was already on the ball, doing what it could to protect this vulnerable population.
“The new requirement will not affect our facility only because we were already offering the vaccine and making it available for residents upon request,” WMH Director of Community Relations Jazell Raycraft said.
This is an added benefit of living in a 51-bed care unit, adjacent to its hospital.
“Currently, all of our Long Term Care residents have chosen to be vaccinated,” Raycraft said. “We have been able to offer the vaccine to every resident and continue to do so with new residents. We also offer all residents the opportunity for their booster shot and will continue this practice.
According to the order, nursing homes must offer on-site doses of COVID-19 vaccines to residents who are not up to date as of Jan. 20, within 30 days of the effective date of the order.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against the virus, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get up to date,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said.
The order will not require nursing home residents to get vaccinated. However, nursing homes are encouraged to provide informational materials about COVID-19 vaccines.
Nursing homes are required to notify those legally able to make medical decisions on behalf of a resident about the on-site COVID-19 booster doses.
Nursing homes must document a resident’s consent or refusal of an offered COVID-19 vaccine.
Skilled nursing homes were among the first groups offered vaccination in December 2020 when the COVID-19 vaccine became available. First and second doses have been offered at 100% of the facilities in the state, with 74% of eligible Michigan nursing home residents having already received their booster dose. Nearly 2.6 million booster and third doses have been administered in the state, with nearly 1 million of those doses provided to Michiganders ages 65 and older.
Under previous executive directives signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state of Michigan has prioritized booster doses for residents in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and adult foster care, and has been working to expedite delivery of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to residents who have compromised immune systems.
COVID-19 vaccine reading materials can be located on MDHHS’ Long-Term Care COVID-19 Plan website.
The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine.
