The vaccine has arrived!  Sholom is advocating for all our residents, tenants and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

We’re excited to announce that CVS Health continues the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine at Sholom and will begin the administration of the second of the two required vaccinations over the next several weeks at Sholom’s various locations.  At our Ackerberg Campus, Sholom Home West, Knollwood Place Apartments, Roitenberg Assisted Living, Menorah Plaza, and Menorah West have completed their second vaccinations.  At our Shaller Campus, Chapman Sholom Home East, Bentson Assisted Living and Weinberg Apartment have completed their second vaccinations.  Future vaccine clinic dates for staff and/or residents that are new to Sholom are forthcoming.

If you are an essential caregiver with your paperwork on file at Sholom to provide services to a Sholom resident or tenant, you may be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if there are doses available. If you are an essential caregiver and are interested in receiving the vaccine, please reach out to your housing director for details.  Pre-registration is required, and no drop-ins will be accommodated.  Please email your preferred location, contact information, and telephone number to info@sholom.com to be placed on a waiting list.

Here are the details of our Resident Vaccination Plan:

• There will be no cost to you for the vaccine. There is an administration fee for the injection that will be billed to your insurance or the state of Minnesota.
• You’ll need two injections with 28 days in between for it to be most effective.
• If you’ve had COVID-19, you should still receive the vaccination.
• Some people have had a sore arm, mild aches and fever after receiving the injection, but you cannot be infected by COVID-19 through the vaccination. These types of side-effects are more common with the second injection and not as common with the first injection. It’s important you receive both injections.

Residents, tenants and families may want to know if visitation policies or mask requirements will change for those who get vaccinated. It is important to understand that all Sholom residents and staff will need to continue following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. We will also receive direction from our federal and state officials on this topic and will keep you posted.

Sholom continues to work within the guidelines provided by Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for safe visitation in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  We will continue to update the hotline and the website to reflect our status. As we continue the required monthly COVID-19 testing for residents and staff in our skilled care centers and outbreak based testing in our housing locations as required, we will indicate whether external visitors are permitted.  If visitors are permitted, visitors can reach out to the sites for specific days and times. For Sholom locations that allow visitors, there are designated areas indoors for scheduled visits that are sanitized between visits for everyone’s health as safety.  Please note: no “drop-in” visits are allowed.  ALL visits must be scheduled in advance.  Thank you for your understanding.

All Sholom locations in St. Paul and St. Louis Park are open for window, outdoor and scheduled indoor visits. This includes: St. Louis Park: Sholom Home West, Roitenberg Family Assisted Living, Hodroff Pavilion for Memory Care, Knollwood Place Apartments, Menorah West, and Menorah Plaza. In St. Paul: Chapman Sholom Home East, Bentson Family Assisted Living, Phillips Center for Memory Care and Weinberg Apartments. Essential caregivers and compassionate care visits continue to be allowed at all Sholom locations.

Our Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Clinical Director recently hosted informational sessions about the COVID-19 vaccine and answered questions live. In case you missed the event, please go to our COVID-19 link at the top of our website to access the webinar replays and download the presentation materials.

We have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document to help you understand more about why the vaccine is so important in defeating COVID-19. Please visit our website and click on the COVID-19 information at the top of the page.

Please continue to stop the spread of COVID-19 with your vigilant adherence to mask wearing, physical distancing, handwashing and remaining at home as much as possible. We understand many people are weary of the COVID-19 restrictions; however, it is even more important than ever to continue with these restrictions as the cases in Minnesota may increase due to recent new strains of the virus.  Remember, our lives are in each other’s hands.

At our St. Louis Park location, Sholom Home West has one staff member with active, positive COVID-19. Knollwood Place Apartments, Roitenberg Family Assisted Living, Menorah Plaza, Hodroff Pavilion for Memory Care, and Menorah West have no active COVID-19 resident or staff cases.

At our Shaller Family Sholom East Campus in St. Paul, Shirley Chapman Sholom Home East, Bentson Family Assisted Living, Phillips Center for Memory Care and Weinberg Apartments have no staff or residents with COVID-19.   Our homecare and hospice team has no active, positive COVID-19.

For the most up to date information, please refer to www.sholom.com and click on the COVID link at the top of the page.

Our priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. The news of a vaccine gives us hope for a new chapter in our fight against this virus. I am so appreciative of the support and cooperation you all have given us during this year. Thank you for your commitment to our community. Together, we’re moving toward a COVID-free future.

Barbara Klick, RN, MBA, Sholom CEO