Broad Reach Healthcare Happenings

By: Tim Wood

The Cape Cod Chronicle

Edith Brammer gets ready to become among the first residents of the Victorian Assisted Living facility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. TIM WOOD PHOTO

CHATHAM – Nancy Ryder Petrus had no misgivings about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I'm 100 percent positive,” she said. “At my age, I'll take my chances.”

On Tuesday, a team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians took over the dining hall at the Victorian Assisted Living facility in North Chatham and set up check-in and inoculation stations so residents and staff could receive the vaccine. Along with the residents and staff of Liberty Commons Nursing Home across Route 28, they were among the first in long-term care facilities on the Cape to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“It's certainly a step in the right direction,” said Victorian Executive Director Celeste Fox. “It's been a long year.”

Long-term care facilities have been vectors for the coronavirus, and the elderly are considered among those most vulnerable to the virus. After front-line healthcare workers, seniors are the next group to receive the vaccine, according to Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Given the current surge, it can't happen soon enough, said William Bogdanovich, president and CEO of Broad Reach Healthcare.

“The degree to which this is what we hope is the light at the end of the tunnel cannot be understated,” he said. While more access to testing, allowing detection of asymptomatic positive cases, is a significant improvement over the spring, something about this surge is “much more challenging,” he said. Still, the Cape is much more fortunate than other areas of the country, he added.

“But you can only hold off tides for so long before you need something stronger to protect the shoreline. We’re hoping this vaccine will be just that revetment that knocks back those waves,” said Bogdanovich.

The team at Broad Reach Tuesday was based at a CVS Pharmacy in Scituate; Tuesday was their second day administering vaccines at long-term care facilities. CVS is administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff at long-term care facilities nationwide under contract with the federal government. Through CVS's Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program, the vaccine is being made available with no out-of-pocket costs.

Residents and staff at the Broad Reach facilities received the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second round of vaccinations, scheduled for Jan. 19, Bogdanovich said. A total of 130 patients and residents of the Victorian and Liberty Commons were registered to receive the vaccine Tuesday, along with 171 staff members.

First responders are the next group in line to get the vaccine. Director of Natural Resources Robert Duncanson said Barnstable County will be providing the vaccine. A regional clinic will likely be held to administer the shots to police and firefighters sometime in early January, he said. Public works staff and educators will be next, he said.

“We don't have any specific dates for those particular ones,” he told selectmen last week.

There has been only one positive COVID-19 case at the Victorian, and the person was moved into a COVID-dedicated care area at Liberty Commons. The person has now tested negative twice and is completing quarantine, according to Bogdanovich. Followup testing among Victorian residents found no positive cases. Liberty Commons has been aggressive in its testing, using a Point of Care antigen test. Residents who test positive can be quarantined immediately while PCR lab testing is done to confirm the positive reading. Six residents recently tested positive with the antigen test, and PCR results are pending, Bogdanovich said.

At the Victorian Tuesday, staff watched over each resident for about 15 minutes after the vaccine was administered to make sure there were no ill effects, while paramedics from the fire department stood by.

“We have resources here just in case,” said Fox.

Petras, who grew up in town, said she's felt safe living at the Victorian, and receiving the vaccine will help her feel more positive.

“It's a gift,” she said. “It's been a long, long year.”