Where is the vaccine for assisted
living staff and residents?
Dealing with a diffi cult year in
the New York City subways
COURIER LIFE, JANUARY 1-7, 2021 19
OP-ED
BY LISA NEWCOMB
From the earliest days
of planning for the development
and distribution of an
effi cacious COVID-19 vaccination,
those working in our
nation’s congregate care settings
for seniors, including
assisted living communities,
were prioritized as fi rst
in line to be vaccinated, and
rightfully so: the population
they serve has been universally
identifi ed as among the
most vulnerable.
In the fi rst months of the
pandemic, a common criticism
was that there was
not enough attention or resources
given to long-term
care settings, including assisted
living, and there was
outsized attention paid to
hospitals. Whether it be
PPE, staffi ng or fi nancial assistance,
the hospitals were
always fi rst in line.
Perhaps, to some extent,
that was appropriate, but
not to the detriment of other
vulnerable sectors. That
should have been a valuable
lesson learned as adult care
facilities/assisted living residences
continue to suffer
from a lack of resources and
a potentially high incidence
of COVID among the frailest
of our seniors.
That’s why we are baffl ed
that now, weeks into the vaccination
process, not one assisted
living staff person or
resident has received the
vaccine. Yes, we understand
that there is limited supply,
and the decision has been
made to vaccinate other populations
fi rst. But how is it
that funeral directors, hospital
discharge planners,
fi refi ghters and other frontline
and congregate care setting
staff have begun receiving
the vaccine and assisted
living workers serving very
frail elderly residents have
not?
More shocking are recent
reports that hospitals
are hoarding the vaccine for
all their staff and rejecting
pleas to offer it to other critical
health care workers in
the community.
This is unconscionable
and illogical considering the
vulnerable resident population
served. Assisted living
residents and staff deserve
better.
Vaccines should be made
available to staff immediately
and residents as soon
thereafter as the supply
grows. Otherwise, the state
unnecessarily risks a repeat
of the large number of nursing
home resident deaths
that occurred in the beginning
months of the pandemic.
Lisa Newcomb is Executive
Director of the Empire
State Association of Assisted
Living (ESAAL), comprised
of over 300 adult care facilities
throughout New York State,
serving more than 30,000 residents.
BY LISA NEWCOMB
This has been an incredibly
diffi cult year for many
reasons. In addition to the
heartbreaking losses suffered
by the NYC Transit family
due to the pandemic, we’ve
all struggled deeply with the
murder of our friend and colleague
Garrett Goble — who
tragically died after an arsonist
set fi re to his 2 train on
March 27.
Every single day since
then NYCT has grieved and
mourned his loss. Each time
we speak with his wife Delilah
our hearts are broken all over
again and each time we spoke
to police, spoke to Garrett’s
mother Vicki, or spoke with
Garrett’s friends at Transit,
they broke again.
But fi nally, we can take
solace in knowing his alleged
killer is being brought to justice.
The NYPD has arrested
and charged a suspect with
murder in connection with
Garrett’s death. Nothing can
bring him back to his sweet
family, but we are grateful to
the police for their relentless
persistence and hard work on
this case.
There should be no tolerance
for any form of violence
in our transit system. Fires,
sexual assaults, assaults
on our workers – these are
crimes committed against
the very best of New York —
the brave men and women
who show up and serve this
city each day and keep us all
moving forward no matter
the challenges.
Last week, our valiant
workforce was tested by the
fi rst major winter storm of the
season and they came through
heroically, just as I knew they
would. By the time the storm
was tapering off Thursday
morning, service was already
starting to normalize, and
by midday the subways were
operating a normal weekday
schedule with only scattered
delays and a few isolated reroutings
on our buses in the
outer boroughs. This is an
amazing feat.
There is so much preparation
that happens before
the fi rst fl akes of any blizzard
even fall. Thousands
of people are mobilized to
get snow fi ghting equipment
into place across the city,
move trains from yards to be
stored underground, outfi t
buses with tire chains, start
de-icing, and more. Everyone
plays a part in any well
executed storm response.
I had no doubt the NYC
Transit team could handle
it. They have managed to
deliver on projects big and
small throughout this year,
which has been one of the
darkest in our agency’s history.
Our workers have been
the heroes moving heroes
throughout the pandemic.
Transit’s tireless efforts
serve as a reminder that
the women and men of New
York City Transit are essential
workers and public
servants in the truest sense
of the words. It is one of the
greatest privileges of my life
to lead this agency and its
brave employees.
After all that we’ve been
through this year, I look forward
to what will hopefully
be a better 2021, especially
now that vaccines are becoming
available and a transit
friendly Biden administration
is set to take over the
White House. But no matter
what happens, I know
that New York City Transit
is ready for whatever comes
our way.
Sarah Feinberg is acting
MTA New York City Transit
president.