We recently held the last of our five scheduled COVID-19 vaccination clinics, resulting in the majority of our team members and residents being fully vaccinated, specifically:

• 100% of assisted living and Health Care Center residents
• 98% of independent living residents

“LVMG is one of the safest places a person could live. There aren’t too many places where one can live knowing that 98% or more of their neighbors have been vaccinated,” stated Michelle Rosenheim, LVMG’s executive director.

Our community was among the first to schedule vaccination clinics because serving assisted living and health care residents met Maryland’s 1A priority status, according to its vaccine distribution plan. As early as Jan. 9, LVMG had its first clinic vaccinating 107 individuals. Priority was given to residents and team members in assisted living and the Health Care Center, in accordance to regulations.

As additional vaccine clinics were scheduled, opportunities opened to vaccinate independent living residents and non-assisted living and health care teams. Additionally, rostered clergy from the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland is a member, were invited to be vaccinated at later clinics.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have sought ways to support our Lutheran brethren. Opening our vaccination clinics and providing disinfecting starter boxes to the Westminster Conference churches’ rostered leaders support the churches’ efforts to reopen for congregations to worship together and pastors to visit their congregant residents in our communities and perform front line work for the most vulnerable,” said Jeff Branch, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland, managing organization of CLV.

CVS administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for all of LVMG’s clinics. With the combined efforts of LVMG team members, resident volunteers and CVS, the clinics were conducted safely and smoothly, providing peace of mind and excitement to those who were vaccinated.

“The hope and excitement I’m seeing from our team members and residents is just incredible, and it’s because of the vaccines and community wide effort, which included resident volunteers, to provide clinics in our community,” said Rosenheim.