Hilliard senior center wants to vaccinate all residents, staff

HILLIARD, Fla. — Dayspring Senior Living vaccinated 75 residents, staff and third-party vendors at its Hilliard facility Thursday.

The vaccines were distributed through a partnership with CVS pharmacies, several weeks after some long-term care facilities received vaccines through Walgreens.

Doug Adkins, the facility’s executive director, said he wants to vaccinate nearly 100% of all residents, staff, and even third-party vendors. He said any vendors that work at the facility will be required to have the vaccine to enter.

“We want to keep them safe. We want them to have a great quality of life while they’re with us,” he said.

RELATED STORIES: COVID-19 vaccine plan: Nassau County vaccinating medical workers, people 65 and older

Once all staff and residents are vaccinated, he said their visitation policies will open up, but it will still take several weeks to reach immunity.

In the 10 months since the pandemic began, not a single resident has had COVID-19, and the facility’s manager said she wants to keep it that way.

“[The pandemic] presented something new everyday, but we do the best we can for our residents. And in 10 months we’ve kept [COVID-19] out of the facility and away from our residents.”

The vaccine also means Dayspring will be able to continue with excursions off the property. Adkins described it as a “game-changer”.

The second dose of vaccines will be administered at the facility.

QUICK LINKS: How to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in the Jacksonville area

Cox Media Group