JEA Senior Living Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Team Members

VANCOUVER, Wash., July 20, 2021 (Newswire.com) - JEA Senior Living (JEA), a leading senior care provider, announced today that it will be mandating the COVID-19 vaccination for all of its team members (employees) over the coming months. This is in an effort to protect JEA's residents, essential workers, resident families, and the healthcare partners at each of their communities across the country.

This news comes just days after the American College of Physicians (ACP) released their journal on "The Case for Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Health Care Workers". This journal details and compares the risks, morbidity, and mortality of COVID-19 relative to Influenza.

The table below, pulled from this journal shows the stark contrast between the two diseases and the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19.

JEA Senior Living and their staff have been following enhanced safety protocols since March 2020. With the release of the vaccines and prioritization of healthcare personnel, their earliest COVID-19 vaccinations were in December of 2020.

"The protection of our residents and team members is paramount. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to make COVID-19 Vaccination a mandatory requirement for all of our team members who are a part of the JEA Family, barring any exemption due to religion, pre-existing conditions, applicable State laws, and ownership group preference," shared Chris Belford, Chief Executive Officer, for JEA Senior Living.

Belford continued, "Over the past year, COVID-19 has challenged our industry in new and complicated ways. However, thanks to our diligent team members who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine series, and their adherence to our enhanced safety protocols, our residents have experienced safety and security in each of our communities. We believe that mandating the vaccine for all healthcare workers is a vital step towards ending COVID-19. Choosing to work in healthcare means choosing to do the very best for the patients/residents/clients that you are serving. Keeping them safe from infection is critical to the process of healthcare, especially when working with seniors and those with pre-existing conditions."

Effective August 1st, all new team members of JEA Senior Living must receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose within 30-days of hire. Current personnel will be given until September 1st to receive their first vaccine dose. Those with pre-existing health conditions (requires physician approval), or religious exemption must complete a waiver to be considered exempt from this policy.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise yet again, many new cases are from unvaccinated individuals and those who have been infected with one of the COVID-19 variants. 

Angie Fleenor, Vice President of Clinical Services, JEA Senior Living, had this to share about the COVID-19 variants and their impact on a vaccine mandate, "These variants are quick to spread and may lead to an increase of COVID-19 cases, resulting in more hospitalizations and deaths. Thankfully, we know that the vaccines are safe and effective against COVID-19 and its variants. And for those who have held off receiving the vaccine for fear of side effects and safety, over 317 million vaccine doses have been administered in the last six months, with few experiencing mild side effects, while most have no side effects. We believe this is yet another vote of confidence towards our decision to mandate the vaccine for our team members."

Please contact Missy Day ([email protected]) for more information. 

About JEA Senior Living

JEA Senior Living is a premier, progressive senior living management company with over 35 years of experience, currently operating over 40 communities in more than 18 states across the U.S.

With services ranging from independent living, assisted living, and even specialized memory care, JEA's community care teams manage all levels of care, allowing their residents to age in place. Their approach of honoring aging provides resident families with peace of mind and instills confidence in entrusting their loved one's care.

Source: JEA Senior Living