As COVID cases spikes in Orange County, nursing homes prepare
Nursing homes bracing for impact of coronavirus surge
Coronavirus cases are surging in Central Florida. AdventHealth says that they currently have over 700 patients in their facilities across the region. During the peak back in January of 2021, there were 900 patients. Nursing homes are also bracing for impact during this summer spike. According to AARP, the COVID-19 vaccination rate among nursing home workersin Florida is the second-lowest in the country. The organization says less than 42 percent of nursing home staff in Florida had been fully vaccinated compared to the national average of about 56 percent.
WINTER PARK, Fla. - As COVID-19 cases spike in Orange County, nursing homes are figuring out how to respond.
The Gardens at Depugh Nursing Center in Winter Park is still following strict protocol when it comes to visitors. Anyone from the outside must wear masks, have a health screening, and have temperatures taken before entering.
"Really the staff have to be more vigilant," said administrator Liz Barton. "They’re the ones going out into the community, they’re the ones running into other people, they’re the ones, who, if they’re vaccinated can go out without masks."
RELATED: COVID-19 becoming ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’, CDC director says
Vaccinating nursing home staff has proven to be challenging for facilities across the state.
According to a new AARP report, the COVID vaccination rate among nursing home workers in Florida is the second-lowest in the country; only above Louisiana. The organization says less than 42% of nursing home staff in Florida had been fully vaccinated by June – compared to the national average of about 56%.
RELATED: Florida nursing homes brace for coronavirus surge as workers lag in COVID-19 vaccinations
Richard Baldwin, president of the board of directors at the Gardens at Depugh says their best defense was paying their employees to get the shot.
"We were around 35/40% vaccinated and we couldn’t move the needle. So we started a compensation program and we gave them a little money with their first shot and a big check with their second shot and it bumped us way over 80%," he said.