A skilled nursing center in Dayton, Ohio recently achieved an inspiring feat: a 100% vaccination rate against Covid-19 for residents and staff. Even more incredible is the fact that the facility, Grafton Oaks, had zero call-outs from staff due to side effects, and the residents were even less affected than the staff. However, this wasn’t as easy of a task as it may sound. As misinformation continues to run rampant about the side effects of these vaccines, some individuals were hesitant to get the shot. So how did the facility achieve this perfect vaccination rate?

“What really worked was drilling down on the education,” says Lisa Hamilton, the owner and administrator of the star facility. Hamilton, along with other leaders of Grafton Oaks, worked to educate each individual who had doubts about the vaccine. Using tools such as sign up sheets, educational sessions, and one-on-one meetings, they took the time to thoroughly explain the safety and importance of these vaccines. It seems the time and energy they took to prepare was more than worth it; all 185 staff and residents have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and are now eagerly looking forward to a small bit of normalcy, such as easing of testing, PPE usage, and visitation protocols.

Grafton Oaks is a wonderful example of the power of education when it comes to acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine. Congratulations on such an amazing feat!

Don’t forget to use the many resources available to you to educate your own residents and staff about the Covid-19 vaccine. For more success stories like Grafton Oaks and information pertinent to long term care facilities, check out Provider Magazine, produced by the American Health Care Association. HealthCap also has an abundance of Covid-19 documents, graphics, and informational posters available for you to download in our Resource and Education Center.

Stay the course, stay well, mask up, and stay tuned!