When It Comes to Fighting COVID-19, the Los Angeles Jewish Home Is Recognized for Its Commitment to Moving Forward with Full Speed Ahead

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When It Comes to Fighting COVID-19, the Los Angeles Jewish Home Is Recognized for Its Commitment to Moving Forward with Full Speed Ahead

Mar 1, 2022

From the outset of the pandemic, the Los Angeles Jewish Home pursued a proactive approach to COVID-19 management, taking critical steps to ensure the health and safety of all residents in our care and staff who work at the Home. Recently, these efforts were recognized with a certificate of achievement from the Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The award, part of HSAG's Full Speed Ahead! program, honors nursing homes that reach and maintain high vaccination levels in California and Arizona.

Recipients of this prestigious distinction were the Jewish Home's Eisenberg Village campus and its highly regarded Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center (JEKMC). In both places, the Home exceeded a 90 percent staff vaccination rate against COVID-19 for four consecutive weeks during the fourth quarter of 2021.

It's a remarkable success, particularly when measured against the 74 percent of Californians who are fully vaccinated (78 percent in LA County), and it reflects a real commitment on the part of the Jewish Home to enhance the well-being of people throughout our community.


Noah Marco, MD, the Home's chief medical officer, notes that the organization's accomplishment stems from the commitment of diverse stakeholders to nurturing an environment defined by mutual support.

"Given the massive amount of misinformation there was at times regarding the vaccine, and the early challenges in obtaining sufficient doses, our staff's vaccination and booster rates are truly reflective of the relationships and trust that Jewish Home leadership has with its staff," Dr. Marco says.

As special as HSAG's acknowledgement of specific areas of the Home is, it is actually reflective of low total numbers of infections in our facilities—not just in Eisenberg Village and at JEKMC, but across all of our campuses. "In this most recent wave, we have not had one serious case of COVID-19 among any of our residents," Dr. Marco points out. "The few residents who did get sick had very minimal symptoms, at most. Due in no small part to staff efforts, our residents have been able to continue enjoying the benefits of living at the Jewish Home and being part of the lives of those they love."

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