COVID-19 News & Resources
December 24, 2020
View this important video of Julie Alleman as she shares the launching of CADES Covid-19 Vaccine Clinic.
December 14, 2020 – Vaccine Update
Good afternoon CADES Staff, Individuals & Families,
As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most important tools we will have is a vaccine.
We are happy to share that CADES applied and was approved for inclusion in Phase I distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the CDC Pharmacy Partnership for long-term care program to prioritize residents and the staff who support them. We applied for this program because we believe it is extremely important for individuals living with a developmental disability to become vaccinated given the disproportionate number of deaths for individuals in the IDD and Autism community.
Eligibility:
At this juncture, our Community Living Arrangement (CLA) residents and all CADES employees have the opportunity to receive the vaccination at no cost to the participant. There is a strong possibility Adult Program participants who reside in their family home and George Crothers Memorial School (GCMS) students over 16 will also be able to participate in these vaccine clinics, a determination we hope to provide in the upcoming days.
- Taking the vaccine is not a CADES mandate; this is a personal decision but, as an organization, it is our goal to vaccinate 100% of CADES participants and students whose health and safety are our top priority.
- It is our secondary goal to vaccinate 100% of the CADES staff, as their health affects not only themselves and their immediate families but also those they serve at CADES.
Vaccine Distribution:
The vaccine offered will likely be either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine pending FDA approval. CADES will not have a choice of vaccine. Both vaccines are mRNA vaccines. They do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19. More information on this type of vaccine can be found at: Understanding the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.
Timing:
CADES has partnered with CVS to conduct the vaccine clinics on site at CADES main campus in Swarthmore. As part of a national vaccination campaign, CVS will notify CADES of three (3) specific clinic dates, and we are beholden to that timeline.
What to Expect:
- CADES must provide an accurate count for vaccination 10 days before the first clinic
- Written consent is mandatory for every person who receives a vaccine, and no electronic signatures will be
- Consent must be provided on an original form that will be provided to CADES in advance by CVS.
- We require the active support of family members who provide medical consent. We will work with you to coordinate contact-free opportunities to sign the consent, including:
- On-site drop-in options at CADES main campus
- Sending a representative to your home to sign the consent and/or
- FedEx the consent to your home (out of region or state)
- Participants must commit to receiving 2 shots, distributed 2-3 weeks
- Participants will arrive the day of the vaccination clinic at a designated time. They will be expected to remain on site 15 minutes following
- All prevention efforts at CADES will continue, including masks, social distancing, good hand hygiene and visitation
We encourage everyone to consider the advantages of this opportunity seriously as it will provide our community with an efficient, safe and easy way to receive the vaccine. While the decision is yours, please note that should you decide to decline the vaccine at this time, we are not sure if or when there will be another opportunity to administer the vaccine at a clinic hosted at CADES. The vaccine is the most powerful tool to date to help prevent severe disease and long-term effects of the disease, hospitalization and even death.
How CADES Will Help:
We understand that many staff and families may have questions you would like answered regarding the vaccine. Your first and best resource for answers is your PCP. CADES will also work daily to connect you with credible resources to make an informed decision and one that is best for your family.
- Introduction Video: We encourage you to review the brief video that can be accessed by clicking the video link in the body of the email or by clicking on the Resources tab below.
- Resources: A current list with links to credible resources on vaccinations is available on the attached FAQ sheet. Resources to events (panel discussions) and updated information will be available on the CADES website (COVID tab/News and Resources) and pushed out via email/text.
- Town Halls: Consider participating in CADES hosted town halls for families and staff which will be a forum to ask questions, connect and discuss information among each
- Connecting: Our team will be following up with individuals, their families, and staff independently to discuss if you and/or your loved one would like to receive the vaccination.
CADES Commitment:
We are deeply committed to doing our very best to keep the CADES community safe during this time. We will be in touch more in the coming weeks, but we would recommend that you begin educating yourself on the vaccine, so you are prepared to make an informed decision. I believe so strongly in this vaccine that I will be receiving it the first day of the clinic at CADES. We will continue to get through this together as a CADES family and are here to support you during every step as we navigate our way forward.
Sincerely,
Julie Alleman
December 14, 2020 – Vaccine Update
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Last updated 12/14/2020)
The FAQs is an internal document created by CADES to provide answers to questions posed by our stakeholders (staff, families and individuals). The goal of this document is to connect the CADES community to credible and reliable resources to help in making an informed decision about vaccination as well as provide answers related to CADES operational stance on COVID-19 vaccination.
Q: What reliable resources are available to become informed?
A: Recommended resources include (hover over any underlined link to go to that website page)
- Your Primary Care Physician
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- FDA Briefing Document on the Pfzer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
- US Food and Drug Administration
- The History of Vaccines
Q: Is getting the vaccine mandatory? Is there a religious exception?
A: CADES cannot mandate vaccination due to the emergency authorization status. We encourage all stakeholders to make an informed decision based on scientific data. We are committed to providing information which has been empirically validated so each stakeholder can be informed accordingly.
Q: Who at CADES can get the vaccine?
A: As of Monday, December 14th, our Community Living Arrangement residents and all CADES employees are eligible for the vaccine clinic. As the leader of CADES, Julie will become vaccinated.
We do not have the exact details yet but are likely to be able to provide the opportunity to vaccinate CADES individuals who live at home including, those in the Adult Program and GCMS students over 16. The first vaccine trails did not include children and therefore the FDA has not endorsed the vaccination of people under 16 years of age.
Q: Why do I need proof of insurance if this is a government-sponsored vaccine?
A: Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to Americans people at no cost. However, vaccination providers (CVS and Walgreens) will be able to charge a fee for giving the shot to someone to cover their costs for staffing and logistics. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by an individual’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
Below you will find credible resources regarding vaccination:
May 29, 2020
May 14, 2020
April 30, 2020
We wanted to share the upcoming OCDEL Family Webinars that are being hosted to discuss the transition process from children transitioning from Infant/Toddler EI to Pre-School EI at Age 3 and Pre-School EI to School-Age Services at the age of beginner during COVID-19. Click here for more info
April 29, 2020
April 2020
It delights us, in a time when not much is delightful, to make you aware of a bit of good news for CADES.
CADES will be receiving a $50,000 grant from the PHL COVID-19 Fund. The Fund is a collaboration established between the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) to aid nonprofits working to respond to the impact the pandemic is having throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region.
We are thankful to receive these funds to support our services as it offers a lifeline to continue CADES commitment to the physical and emotional wellbeing of the staff and individuals in the community. Specifically, we will use the grant to purchase personal protective equipment for our staff, provide active programming for our residents, and support acts of gratitude for the countless team members who have selflessly served in these trying times.
I hope this provides a bit of hope to you as it has to our entire team.
March 28, 2020
Julie provides valuable insight on her personal journey through COVID-19 as well as some CADES updates. #youcannotbetoopreventative Stay home. Stop the spread. Save lives. We can do this together!
March 2020
December 24, 2020
- Listen to this podcast: COVID and communities of color: health disparities and vaccine hesitancy
- Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium website
April 2020
Here is a great explanation for children and individuals about why we need to wear masks. Feel free to print it and share with your family!
Click here for a printed version
April 2020
April 2020
Standing in solidarity with Toward Independence (ti-inc.org), we salute our DSPs. They are on the frontlines of this crisis and keep us standing. We couldn’t have said it better, so we won’t attempt to.