WESTLOCK — Residents at one of the Homeland Housing senior homes received the Moderna vaccine on Sunday and plans for immunizing those in a second home are underway.
St. Albert councillor and Homeland Housing director Natalie Joly announced over Twitter Jan. 5 that Smithfield Lodge was provided with vaccines over the weekend.
“As a director of this wonderful organization, my heart flutters at the thought of our residents being protected from this awful virus,” Joly wrote.
I am overjoyed to hear that Smithfield Lodge in Westlock, one of Homeland Housing's homes, was provided with vaccines over the weekend. As a director of this wonderful organization, my heart flutters at the thought of our residents being protected from this awful virus. 💕🔦
— Natalie Joly (@nataliejolyT8N) January 5, 2021
CEO Raymond Cormie confirmed today that all residents at Smithfield were immunized and Homeland Housing is working with Alberta Health Services to secure immunizations for residents at Pembina Lodge, but there is no date set for the second lodge.
Healthcare staff at Smithfield Lodge and the AHS staff who go to the Pembina Lodge “are in the process of being vaccinated. All of that is being coordinated with Alberta Health Services,” Cormie said.
“At this point in time, vaccination for staff is only focused on if you are a healthcare worker. So for example, if you are a licenced practical nurse or healthcare aide, you would be offered your immunization, whereas if you were a support worker, let’s say housekeeping, food service or administration, those individuals would be immunized in a later phase.”
The government hasn’t released details for priority groups in Phase 2, which is scheduled for April to September. Support staff in senior homes are not on the list for Phase 1B either, which will begin next month.
Why Smithfield
Under Phase 1A, residents of long-term care and designated supportive living, regardless of age, are scheduled for immunizations this month. Some residents at Smithfield Lodge, explained Westlock County deputy reeve and Homeland Housing board member Brian Coleman, fall under that category.
“Homeland Housing has a contract with Alberta Health Services for the 44 units at Smithfield Lodge. … Those residents are technically AHS residents and we provide the housing and the meals for those residents,” Coleman said.
“They look after them medically, they screen those residents, (it’s) somewhere between a lodge and long-term care, so it’s kind of an intermediate level of service between those two and that’s why they are getting the vaccination before the other lodge residents.”
Cormie added that because two different programs run out of the Smithfield (seniors lodging and designated supportive living), AHS and Homeland Housing decided to immunize all residents though lodge residents don’t qualify for the vaccine until Phase 1B.
Continuing Care
Alberta Health hasn’t responded to requests for comment from News staff regarding the progress, timeline and details of vaccinations in the Westlock area. An Alberta Health Services representative said the ministry is handling communications regarding vaccines.
News staff has learned that at least one resident at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre received the Moderna vaccine on Monday. According to Cormie, healthcare staff at the Centre also started to receive vaccinations.
Across the province, the government says it’s provided 30,033 vaccines as of Tuesday. Another 13,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in the province earlier in the week.
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