NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Five Star Senior Living Inc. (Nasdaq: FVE), in confirmation of its commitment to best practices, today announced that all team members who work in or visit its communities or Ageility clinics as part of their responsibilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1, 2021. The requirement reflects Five Star’s commitment to protect its team members, residents and clients from the ongoing threat posed by the COVID-19 virus.
Katie Potter, Five Star’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “The health and well-being of our residents, clients and team members is our highest priority. Requiring team members who work in or visit our communities or Ageility clinics as part of their responsibilities to be vaccinated is consistent with this priority and our commitment to industry well-being best practices. Since the onset of the pandemic, our teams across the country have gone to great lengths to keep our residents and clients safe. We deeply appreciate their efforts and are committed to maintaining a safe work environment for them and a well-rounded, fully active and open experience for our residents, clients and families.”
As of May 1, 2021, every Five Star community has completed a series of three vaccine clinics open to all Five Star residents and team members. Due to their vaccination progress, all communities have been able to reopen fully to visitors and new residents. Currently, 85% of residents are fully vaccinated, and resident COVID-19 cases on a trailing two-week basis have declined 99% from the peak in early December. Five Star has hosted vaccine education town halls for its team members led by its Chief Medical Officer, and it has also instituted peer-to-peer networks to provide information and support.
Going forward, residents and team members will have access to the vaccine at Five Star communities and Ageility clinics as well as through local community resources. Additionally, through Five Star’s relationship with Omnicare/CVS, team members have access to a concierge service designed to help navigate and schedule vaccinations.
Five Star’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Priti Jindal, said, “Thanks to progress with the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, senior living hospitalization and death rates due to COVID-19 have dropped significantly since January. However, with only 40% of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, we still need to remain vigilant and implement best clinical practices to keep everyone safe. Requiring our team members to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus will help keep our senior population and our team members protected and healthy. It will take every one of us to definitively eradicate the threat of the COVID-19 virus to the vulnerable population we serve at Five Star.”
About Five Star Senior Living Inc.
FVE is a senior living and rehabilitation and wellness services company. As of March 31, 2021, FVE operated 252 senior living communities (29,265 living units) located in 31 states, including 228 communities (26,963 living units) that it managed and 24 communities (2,302 living units) that it owned or leased. FVE operates independent living, assisted living and memory care communities, continuing care retirement communities and skilled nursing facilities. Additionally, FVE's rehabilitation and wellness services segment includes Ageility, a division of FVE, which provides rehabilitation and wellness services within FVE communities as well as to external customers. As of March 31, 2021, Ageility operated 215 outpatient rehabilitation clinics and 37 inpatient rehabilitation clinics in 28 states. FVE is headquartered in Newton, Mass.
