All Residents at Parker’s Elder Care Communities Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
Parker Announces 100% of Residents Have Been Given First Shot
HIGHLAND PARK, NJ – January 19, 2021 – Doris Clark sat down, rolled up her sleeve and waited for the pinch.
She was one of the residents at Parker at Stonegate, an assisted living community on River Road, to receive her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.
“I’m taking the vaccine because it’s going to help to keep me healthy and we don’t want anyone getting sick because this virus is very, very dangerous,” she said. “I like everyone here and want to be with them again soon.”
Clark and all of the other residents at Parker’s elder care campuses at Highland Park, Piscataway, New Brunswick, Somerset and Monroe Township have received the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine this week. The campuses are among the very first cohort in Middlesex County to have 100% inoculation.
“We are very proud of our residents and their families, all of whom understood the critical importance of this vaccine for the health of the entire Parker community,” said Roberto Muñiz, President & CEO of Parker, who joined the residents to receive his immunization. “After many long months of devising new ways to ensure the safety of our residents, we worked hard to make the experience a positive one."
The vaccines, administered by CVS pharmacy through the week, were distributed in accordance with guidelines established by Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health. All health care workers, such as doctors and nurses in hospitals, began receiving their first doses on Dec. 15.
Since then, long-term elder care residents and employees and first responders such as police officers and firefighters have also begun to receive the vaccine.
This moment has been eagerly anticipated since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in New Jersey last winter.
“It’s a day of hope for Parker, for our residents and for all of us,” said Carolyn Bachonski, Chief Clinical Officer at Parker.
Parker at Stonegate in Highland Park received its first round of vaccinations on Monday, Jan. 11. To view the video of the day, click here.
