LeadingAge attended the Long-Term Care Leadership Summit 3.0 at the White House on July 18 along with representatives from the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the office of the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Several other associations participated, representing multiple perspectives from the long-term care sector. The White House also invited nursing home providers to share best practices. The focus of the Summit was respiratory virus vaccines and preparation for the 2024/2025 respiratory virus season.

Nursing home providers Homestead Hills from North Carolina, Episcopal Church Home of the Gardens from Minnesota, and Hudsonview Health Care Center from New Jersey were invited by the administration to discuss strategies for vaccine acceptance. Each nursing home provider gave an overview of their vaccine strategy and process during the pandemic and current thoughts going into the respiratory season.  Themes of trust, communication, education, and transparency were threaded through each presentation, with specific examples of leadership being champions and establishing collaborations with the community at large.  Each organization spoke of listening to their residents, staff, and families and adapting to the individual needs as they changed.

The second part of the summit outlined the preparations for the 2024-2025 respiratory season. The Assistant Secretary of HHS, Jeff Nesbit, discussed the upcoming vaccine campaign for the fall.  The campaign will address RSV, flu, and COVID vaccinations and will be informed by research. The main components are using education and motivation to increase vaccination rates. The campaign will include print and digital resources, media and social media ads, and limited pop-up clinics.

CDC discussed additional work to address vaccination barriers, including streamlining vaccine recommendations, improving vaccine information sheets, and working with vaccine manufacturers and CMS to address access issues. LeadingAge will continue to work with these partners as we prepare for respiratory virus season.