An October 7 visit by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., spotlighted a flu vaccine clinic held by The Slovene Home Skilled Care & Rehabilitation, a LeadingAge member in Cleveland, OH. The clinic, which offered flu vaccines for residents and staff, was also attended by local and state officials and by Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH)—who received her own flu vaccine while there.

Cohen, quoted in an article on the clinic from Cleveland.com, said, “We have lots of tools, so we are in a very different place than we were a number of years ago. But the issue now is making sure we use the tools right. … We can do better, and vaccines cut that risk in half.” She also noted that winter viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) would send 100,000 people to hospitals, even in an average viral season.

Cohen’s visit included a tour of the Slovene Home, which had been hit hard during the COVID pandemic, and due to her early arrival, Cohen was able to meet directly with Slovene Home Administrator Jeffrey Sas and LeadingAge Ohio Quality and Regulatory Specialist Stephanie DeWees. A productive conversation ensued, including discussion of recent vaccine hesitancy for flu shots, CDC’s plan to improve messaging to combat hesitancy (and to improve messaging consistency between CDC, CMS, and the state health department), a trend toward summertime COVID spikes that may lead to twice-a-year vaccines, and the value of guidance for providers on mitigating the risk of COVID outbreaks.

On-site clinics like the Slovene Home’s benefit not only the older adults and staff who gain protection against the dangerous effects of viral infections from flu, COVID-19, and RSV, but also allow providers to educate their communities about the positive benefits of vaccinations and the risks of forgoing them.

Most deaths from flu, COVID-19, and RSV are in people older than age 65—and the risk grows with age. Older adults suffer up to 80% of the flu deaths in the U.S., and tens of thousands are hospitalized due to RSV infection each year. The need to understand the dangers of these viruses is behind LeadingAge’s collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Risk Less. Do More., a research-based campaign offering messages and materials to help members inform and protect their communities.

Photo: CDC Director Mandy Cohen, M.D. (right), with Stephanie DeWees, quality and regulatory specialist for LeadingAge Ohio, at the October 7 flu vaccine clinic at The Slovene Home. Photo courtesy of LeadingAge Ohio.

Many thanks to LeadingAge Ohio staff who contributed firsthand information for this article: Stephanie DeWees, quality and regulatory specialist, and Molly Homan, director of strategic communications.