COFAR blog

Group homes and developmental centers in the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) system have a number of options for obtaining COVID-19 vaccines and administering them to their residents and staff, as part of a major vaccination effort that officially begins this week.

In a letter to families that she issued last week, DDS Commissioner Jane Ryder termed the DDS vaccination program “complex,” and said the timing will vary by provider.

Ryder said that vaccinations of both residents and staff of DDS residential congregate care programs would officially begin this week, and that vaccinations of “home-based healthcare workers” would begin in early February.

Ryder said that latter category of staff slated for vaccinations in early February includes shared living providers, home-based respite, individual/family support staff who provide in-home services, and “participants who self-direct their services.”

Provider options for vaccinations

In guidance issued last week, the Department of Public Health (DPH) outlined three options available to group home and other congregate care providers for obtaining and administering the vaccines. Those options are “self-administration,” which involves receiving the vaccines directly from DPH; existing partnerships with pharmacies and other healthcare providers; and scheduling vaccinations at mass-vaccination sites.

In her letter, Ryder discussed the latter two methods, but didn’t mention the self-administration option. She said the partnerships apply to providers that have relationships with either CVS or Walgreens to provide and administer the vaccinations.

In some of those cases, vaccinations have already begun, Ryder said. That appears to explain an apparent discrepancy between the reports we received about some vaccinations having started prior to this week, and the official announcement that vaccinations in DDS group homes would start this week.

As part of that partnership option, Ryder said, some providers are arranging with local pharmacies or healthcare providers such as a local hospital or community health center to have vaccinations delivered and administered to residents and staff.

Self-Administration Option

The DPH guidance lists a primary option for congregate care facilities of directly receiving and administering vaccines from DPH (“self-administration”).  The guidance states that this option “is likely to be the most convenient for staff and residents and the quickest method for them to obtain the vaccine.”

However, as noted, Commissioner Ryder didn’t mention this option in her letter. In an email query to Ryder last week, I asked if that meant that none of the DDS group home providers meet the qualifications for the self-administration option, which include having the capacity to vaccinate 200 persons and having refrigeration storage capacity for the vaccines. To date, I haven’t received a reply.

Ryder’s additional points

In her letter, Ryder listed additional points about the vaccines in the DDS system:

• Vaccination is voluntary for staff and residents.
• DDS is seeking consent from legal guardians prior to residents receiving the vaccine.
• Surveillance testing and infection control measures, including the use of face masks and PPE, hand hygiene, and social distancing, will remain in place until further notice.

More information on getting vaccinated in congregate care settings is available here.

Latest COVID test results:

Meanwhile, the administration’s latest online COVID test data for congregate and long-term care facilities shows some mixed results for COVID in the DDS system. The COVID situation had looked last week as though it was improving in the system, but this past week’s report showed the infection numbers headed back up for provider group home residents and staff, and for Wrentham Developmental Center residents and staff.

Provider group home residents testing positive jumped from 236 to 280 in the week ending Tuesday, January 12. New results will be posted online tomorrow (January 20).

The latest report shows the Hogan Regional Center holding steady on the number of residents testing positive. There was even a drop in the number of staff infected, from 14 to 9 at Hogan this past week. But Wrentham saw a sharp increase in staff testing positive — from 14 to 32, while residents testing positive went from 3 to 11.

Please let us know what your experience has been with the vaccination program in the DDS system.