This week, Mass Senior Care members, Legacy Lifecare and Sherrill House, announced their organizations will require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Legacy Lifecare operates a network of not-for-profit organizations including Chelsea Jewish Lifecare of Chelsea and Peabody, JGS Lifecare of Longmeadow, Deutsches Altenheim of West Roxbury, and Elizabeth Seton Residence and Marillac Residence of Wellesley. And, Sherrill House is a not-for-profit skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center in Boston.
“Our top priority is always the health of our residents and our staff,” said Adam Berman, President and CEO of Legacy Lifecare and Mass Senior Care Vice-Chair. “With over 323 million doses administered in the United States, the COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be both safe and effective. After consulting with experts and careful consideration, we feel strongly that requiring staff to be vaccinated is the most important action we can do to ensure the safety of our long-term care communities.”
“As an organization providing health care to a vulnerable population, we feel strongly that requiring our staff to be vaccinated from COVID-19 is another important step that we can take to ensure the health and safety of our entire community,” said Patrick J. Stapleton, CEO of Sherrill House. “We will continue our education process to address any questions that unvaccinated staff may have and will discuss any compliance or accommodation concerns they may have.”
Both Legacy Lifecare and Sherrill House plans to implement the mandate once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants final approval of one of the three vaccines.
The Boston Globe published an article on Legacy Lifecare’s announcement last week, Massachusetts senior care company mandates COVID shots for workers — a first for state’s nursing homes. Read the full statement/press release by Legacy Lifecare and Sherrill House.