Sacramento senior retirement community fighting to get on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinic
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Updated: 1:40 AM PST Feb 20, 2021
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Updated: 1:40 AM PST Feb 20, 2021
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KCRA 3 STEPHANIE LIN REACHED OUT TO THE STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY FOR ANSWERS. STEPHANIE: 95-YEAR-OLD RITA TURNOVSKY, REFLECTING ON HAPPIER TIMES SPENT WITH FELLOW RESIDENTS AT CAREFREE SENIOR LIVING IN NORTH NATOMA RITA: I USED TO GO BINGO EVERY SUNDAY. I’D GO TO THE STORE, THE BANK. STEPHANIE: FREEDOMS, TAKEN AWAY BY COVID-19. RITA, JUST ONE OF OVER 600 SENIORS LIVING HERE, AND STRUGGLING. RITA: VERY, VERY LONELY. AND JUST KINDA WHY DO I EVEN G UP IN THE MORNING? THERE’S NOTHING TO DO. STEPHANIE: AS FOR THE LAST TIME SHE LEFT THE FACILITY. RITA: I DON’T EVEN REMEMBE AILEEN: THAT MAKES ME VERY SAD. STEPHANIE: COMMUNITY MANAGER AILEEN ENRIQUEZ SAYS IT’S NOT JUST THE RESTRICTIONS, THEY KNOW COVID CAN BE ESPECIALLY DEADLY FOR THEIR RESIDENTS. AILEEN: IT IS IMPORTANT THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF FIRST, THEY ARE AT THE HIGHEST RISK. STEPHANIE: THE FACILITY HAS TRIED REPEATEDLY TO BRING IN AN ONSITE VACCINATION CLINIC BUT THEY’VE HEARD NOTHING FROM CALLING THE STATE OR THE COUNT >> THE ONE FOR THE STATE EVEN AS RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY, RINGS, RINGS RINGS, PICKS UP AND GOES TO DEAD AIR. >> THANK YOU FOR CALLING T COVID-19 INFORMATION LINE. STEPHANIE: WE TRIED THE SAME NUMBERS FOR THE COUNTY AND THE STATE. AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE WITH THE COUNTY SAID CALLS WOULD BE RETURNED WITHIN SEVEN DAYS. WE WERE ON HOLD WITH THE STATE FOR AN HOUR. NO ONE PICKED UP. A COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE TOLD US THEY WOULD CHECK WITH STAFF TO CONNECT WITH THE SENIOR COMMUNITY. ADDING VACCINE SUPPLY IS STILL EXTREMELY LIMITED. MAYOR PRO TEM ANGELIQUE ASHBY’S OFFICE RESPONDED TO OUR OUTREACH SAYING THEY’D GIVEN CAREFREE LIVING INFORMATION ON A NEARBY VACCINATION SITE AT NATOMAS HIGH SCHOOL AILEEN: THE POINT IS NOT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE MOBILE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT ANYWHERE. STEPHANIE: THE SENIOR COMMUNITY LEFT HERE WAITING WONDERING WH THEY CAN GET THE VACCINE. TO DATE ONLY 100 RESIDENTS HER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE VACCINE, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM FAMILY OR BEING SCHEDULED BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO, STEPHANIE LIN, KCRA 3 NEWS EDIE: CAREFREE LIVING IS AN INDEPENDENT RETIREMENT COMMUNITY FOR SENIORS AND NOT AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY OR LONG-TE CARE FACILITY. THE AVERAGE AGE OF PEOPLE LIVING THERE IS 7 A REPRESENTATIVE WITH THE STATE HEAL