The Solon Nursing Care Center was recently acknowledged for being one of nine facilities in the corridor meeting the standard of at least 75 percent of staff vaccinated for COVID-19.
In the state overall, only 50 of the 409 long-term care facilities have met the standard. Vaccine reporting of staff is required and fines are imposed on facilities that fail to comply.
“The staff, administration and Board of Directors understood the importance of providing the vaccine to staff and made it a priority,” explained Melissa Reed, administrator of Solon Retirement Village. Solon Retirement Village recorded a 93.2 percent vaccine rate.
According to Derek Sanders, director of Nursing at Solon Retirement Village, “Education was key to obtaining a high number of staff receiving the vaccine.” Sanders added, the facility made it a requirement for staff vaccinations.
Reed says they took the stance of mandating staff vaccinations, unless “they expressed a religious or medical reason.”
“Because of the outstanding job Derek did working with and educating staff on vaccine benefits, we were able to reach those numbers,” she said.
Sanders held educational meetings with individual staff members citing CDC and other health organizations’ guidelines and data. “Some expressed concern with long-term effects – but education was key.”
Additionally, Reed says staff vaccinations went well. “The first round went very well. The second round more people felt the effects and some mentioned fatigue, but no one called out.”
Sanders added, “None of the residents receiving vaccines had reactions. We had zero pushback from families about getting residents vaccinated. The whole campus is vaccinated.”
During the first few months of the pandemic, facilities were scrambling to get supplies and testing equipment. Sanders says he worked closely with Johnson County Public Health Department and the Iowa City Emergency Management during those times.
“We give a lot of credit to Dave Wilson, director of Iowa City Emergency Management, for being there,” he said. “We were in contact, having meetings every day with these agencies and other nursing facilities. Dave dropped supplies off every day.”
Sanders also worked closely with CVS Pharmacy to acquire additional vaccines for the facility’s condo and assisted living residents.
As COVID cases eventually subsided, he explained, testing became less frequent — from daily, to weekly, to the current monthly testing.
“Because of the positivity rate in Johnson County, we have reduced the testing rate to monthly,” he explained. “Since we’re vaccinated my confidence level is very high.”
Johnson County currently has the highest vaccination rate in Iowa.
Solon Retirement Village is a community-owned, long-term care facility offering independent living condos, assisted-living, skilled-nursing, long-term care and memory care all on one campus.
“We’re community-owned and one of, if not the unique things that sets us apart from other long-term care facilities, is that decisions are made locally by myself, Derek, and the board,” said Reed. “It’s truly about caring for people and doing what’s best for our residents.”