Residents Get COVID Boosters at Home Thanks to CCHMC Visit

The COVID vaccine partnership between St. Joseph Home and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), created in January, 2021, sprang into action again recently when the CDC recommended that residents aged 18 years and older of long-term care settings, like St. Joseph Home (SJH), should get a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

On Oct. 23, two CCHMC home care nurses—Connie Walder, RN III, and Michelle Rudisell, RN III, worked with onsite care teams here to administer the Pfizer vaccine boosters. Having the clinic on our campus made it easier logistically and less disruptive for residents. 

To make this possible, SJH Medical Director, Dr. Susan Wiley reached out to CCHMC’s Susan Wade-Murphy, CCHMC AVP Patient Services to coordinate the event.

“We were honored to be invited to return to St. Joseph Home and provide booster doses to eligible residents,” Wade-Murphy said. “Their vulnerable medical conditions and residential setting make the COVID-19 vaccine booster essential to their health and wellness.” 

Then a team of professionals put their heads together to work out logistics including members of CCHMC Patient Services, Pharmacy, Nursing, Scheduling, and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, coordinating with the SJH team, including Director of Nursing Melissa Rogers, BSN, RN; and VP of ICF Services, Theresa Brockert, RN.

Dan Connors, SJH President and CEO said, “Cincinnati Children’s coming here made it possible to protect our residents from COVID in the way that was best for them.  We deeply appreciate their partnership.”

The partnership between CCHMC and St. Joseph Home first began in Jan. 2021 during the initial implementation of COVID-19 vaccines in institutional settings. COVID-19 led to many state restrictions for medically fragile residents of St. Joseph Home, including being isolated from their families and loved ones for long periods of time. For some of its residents, getting the vaccine this past winter was the first step towards normalcy. Read more in Inspire, Cincinnati Children’s digital magazine, and watch a video on YouTube.