August 26: LifeSpire of Virginia COVID-19 Mandate Update

On August 26, 2021, LifeSpire of Virginia announced to its team members that the organization will be instating a vaccine mandate across all LifeSpire of Virginia communities and the home office. This decision was carefully considered for several months by team members in the Home Office and from the communities. LifeSpire of Virginia is following guidance received from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requiring all nursing home team members to become vaccinated. LifeSpire of Virginia’s mandate will mirror the timing dictated by CMS for the vaccination mandate. This means that all LifeSpire of Virginia team members will be required to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment in the near future.

With the CDC releasing a study on August 24, 2021, indicating that unvaccinated people are 29x more likely to be hospitalized and 5x more likely to be infected with COVID-19, LifeSpire of Virginia fully supports the belief that the vaccine is society’s best defense against the virus.

All LifeSpire of Virginia communities have already done a remarkable job in collectively achieving resident vaccination rates over 99%, meaning residents are and have been protected from the most serious illness related to COVID-19. In the last few weeks, our communities have worked hard to increase the rate of team member vaccination, and the vaccine mandate will help further achieve this.

LifeSpire of Virginia’s leadership team and community leadership remain committed to the health and safety of all those who live, work and visit our communities, and greatly appreciate the support as we jointly navigate the pandemic.

Regards,

Jonathan R. Cook

LifeSpire of Virginia President and CEO