Capitol Report | May 2021
HCA’s Home Care #VaccinateNY profiles have been featuring providers delivering COVID-19 vaccinations to homebound New Yorkers throughout the state.
Our newest feature is Sullivan County Public Health Services and its home care division. Sullivan County is using a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model, focusing on communities with lower vaccination rates, and then sending a nurse and EMT to homebound persons in that zip code.
See all six of our vaccine profiles here.
To improve vaccine access, HCA developed a white paper of findings and recommendations for state officials. The HCA document was recently provided to the Biden White House for its national homebound vaccination planning through home care agencies.
While the state recently increased Medicaid payment for vaccinations, we continue to urge reimbursement levels reflecting the actual cost of vaccination in home care. We also seek more flexibility in the current geographic limitations for vaccinations, as well as guidance for vaccinating a patient’s family members in the same household, and other issues.
Resources to Share with Your Constituents
- New York City’s Homebound Vaccination Program vaccinates seniors and other New Yorkers who are unable to leave their homes due to injury, illness, or other conditions. Questions can be directed to the Health-Care Facilities Team for NYC Test and Trace at (646) 614-3024. Individuals living in NYC can also request a home vaccination via this online portal.
- Vaccine Access for Homebound New Yorkers Outside NYC: The state Department of Health has partnered with counties and the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) in identifying local points of contact for in-home vaccinations. This resource can be shared with your constituents who are homebound due to physical limitations, cognitive impairment, other chronic conditions, a lack of transportation, and/or visual impairments, and do not have access to supports that may help them physically go to an existing vaccination provider.