Florida developing plan to get COVID-19 vaccine to homebound seniors

Florida is working on a plan to get the coronavirus vaccine to homebound seniors. The State says it’s prepared to help counties vaccinate people who can’t make it to vaccine sites, saying it plans to have vaccination strike teams that can vaccinate those in need from their homes.

But counties have to request that help. It’s unclear if Southwest Florida counties have, but people we spoke to who work closely with homebound seniors say they haven’t seen a program to get them the shot, but they would like to see a plan in place soon.

For Sandra Franchino on Marco Island, caring for her 93-year-old mother, Carmela, is like a full-time job.

Carmela is on oxygen 24/7. She has congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and anxiety that makes it extremely hard for her to leave home.

“Leaving the house is one of several issues that promotes a lot of anxiety for her so much so that she actually gets sick to her stomach, and sometimes, she will even faint,” Franchino explained.

Franchino says she would take that risk for a vaccine appointment, but she wishes she did not have to.

“It would be so much less painful emotionally and physically for her if there was a program that the vaccines could be distributed in the homes for folks that qualify,” Franchino said.

That’s exactly what vice president Susan Nimnaun of BrightStar Care wants to do. Nimnaun says home care agencies should get to give homebound seniors vaccines who might not have the ability or technology to make an appointment themselves. She’s pushing lawmakers and health officials to make that happen.

“We have a team of nurses that are ready and able to administer vaccinations in the home,” Nimnaun said. “They want to feel that they have that same level of protection that a senior you know may be in a facility is getting.”

The Nimnaun told us over 350,000 Florida seniors have in-home care. She says they are just as vulnerable to COVID-19 as people who leave the home because their nurses and family members are still visiting.

We reached out to health departments in Lee and Collier counties to see if they’ve requested vaccine strike teams from the State to vaccinate homebound seniors. We’re still waiting to hear back.

Franchino says it’s crucial her mother gets protection soon.

“If a woman like my mom caught the virus, I’m sure she wouldn’t survive,” Franchino said. “We would be ensuring ourselves with that hope that she is safe.”