PALTC23 Conference Recordings FR28 COVID19 Boosters in Nursing Homes: Immunological Response, Effectiveness, and Real World Implementation

COVID19 Boosters in Nursing Homes: Immunological Response, Effectiveness, and Real World Implementation

This session will synthesize the latest findings from two ongoing studies, conducted in collaboration with the CDC. The first is a two year prospective cohort study of approximately 800 nursing home residents and a small number of staff, collecting longitudinal serological data on antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The second is an observational study using electronic health record data from a large multi-state nursing home sample to examine booster effectiveness against infection, hospitalization, and death in residents. We will summarize the latest data from these two studies on immunological response and effectiveness of first and second SARS-CoV-2 boosters, and describe clinical characteristics associated with post-vaccination infection in this frail population. Finally, we will discuss real-world application of findings to practice, highlighting challenges and barriers to achieving widespread SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination among staff and residents.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Provide audience with an understanding of immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in nursing home residents and staff, highlighting the importance of booster doses for maintain adequate antibody titers and protection against new variants.
  • Summarize effectiveness of first and second booster doses and infection, hospitalization, and death in nursing home residents.
  • Describe clinical and immunological characteristics association with post-vaccination infection among nursing home residents.
  • Highlight key real-world challenges of implementing large-scale booster vaccinations in nursing homes.

Stefan Gravenstein, MD, MPH

Stefan Gravenstein, MD, MPH, is a geriatrician that has served as director or chief of geriatrics in three academic institutions, now the Director, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Associate Director of the Center on Innovation in Long-Term Services and Supports at the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center. Dr. Gravenstein has a long-standing interest in immunity, inflammation, cardiovascular outcomes and aging especially in the context of infection, vaccines and the long-term care setting.

Elizabeth White, APRN, PhD

Elizabeth White, APRN, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. Her research agenda broadly focuses on understanding how frail medically-complex older adults receive healthcare services, and how factors affecting the nursing and primary care workforces impact quality outcomes in long-term care. She is a co-investigator on currently funded projects to evaluate the impact of Medicare’s new Patient Driven Payment Model on nursing home care quality, staffing, and costs; to explore the role of advanced practice clinicians in end-of-life care for individuals with dementia; and to examine various aspects of COVID-19 management, treatment, and outcomes in nursing homes. Dr. White completed an AHRQ T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Brown in the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, and an NINR T32 predoctoral fellowship in the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. In addition to her research, Dr. White is a board-certified adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner with extensive clinical experience in long-term care, primary care, and acute care. She currently practices as a nurse practitioner at the PACE Organization of Rhode Island.

Carolyn Blackman, MD

Carolyn Blackman, MD, is Chief Medical Officer at TapestryHealth. After graduating from Brown University Medical School, she completed her General Internal Medicine residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Following roles as clinical teaching faculty, hospitalist, Medical Director and ultimately Senior Vice President at Genesis Healthcare, Dr. Blackman has just begun at TapestryHealth. In her new position she will continue as a results-driven physician leader with a passion for improvement and quality, committed to changing how we care for all of our parents and grandparents.

  • 1.00 CME
  • 1.00 CMD Clinical
  • 1.00 MOC

Release Date: 03/29/2023   |   Expiration: 03/01/2026

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for up to 1.00 clinical hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

The Association requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Association's staff.

The following speaker(s) disclosed relevant financial relationship(s): 

  • Julie Gammack, MD, CMD (Planner & Speaker): Stockholder: Amarin
  • Kenya Rivas Velasquez, MD, CMD, FAAFP (Planner & Speaker): OptumRx: Stockholder
  • All other planners, speakers, and AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified and mitigated.

Components visible upon registration.