The Department of Geriatrics with Wright State Physicians proudly provides care for seniors in southwest Ohio, over 300 of which receive care in their homes. Many of these patients are frail and unable to leave home, even to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Providers in the geriatric clinic collaborated with Pam Kadrovach, MBA, director of practice operations for Wright State Physicians (WSP), and the rest of the task force coordinating the COVID-19 vaccine clinics, to secure doses for distribution to home-bound patients. “I really appreciate Wright State Physicians, Pam Kadrovach, and the entire COVID-19 vaccine clinic team, for helping make this happen. They were so supportive, and provided the first 100 doses of vaccine the organization received to geriatrics,” said Gail Doxsie, CNP, nurse practitioner in geriatrics at WSP.

In mid-March, when WSP began receiving vaccine, the geriatrics team received their supply and began visiting homes and giving patients who wished to be vaccinated their first dose.

Delivering the vaccine involved a lot of careful planning. Once a vile of vaccine is punctured it must be used within twelve hours, after that time it expires, and must be discarded. “The locations of those we were vaccinating covered a large area, from the northern suburbs of Cincinnati to Troy, Ohio”, added Doxsie. The team of three nurse practitioners distributing vaccines configured a well laid-out plan and managed to get everyone vaccinated within six hours!

Geriatrics providers went out again in mid-April to administer the second vaccine dose. 

Doxsie was happy to share, “To date all WSP home-bound geriatric patients who wished to be vaccinated have been. If not for WSP these patients might not otherwise have been vaccinated.”

The vaccination of these patients also effected their families. Many families that utilized support from agencies for caregiving had discontinued the care due to concerns of COVID-19 being brought into the patients’ home. With their loved-ones fully vaccinated families became more comfortable and felt safe resuming this often very necessary caregiving support.

The geriatric clinic at WSP focuses on offering unique services to patients, such as in-home vaccination, and in-home care provided by physicians and advanced practitioners. “What we provide is individualized, and very strategic, based on the care the patient needs”, said Jeff Howard, MPH, AHA, BLS, geriatrics site manager with WSP. 

A new strategic service the clinic is offering is the Senior Assessment Geriatric Evaluation, or SAGE Clinic. The clinic is for those 65+, and focuses on older adult-related conditions and concerns. A two-step approach is used by the interdisciplinary team from the geriatrics clinic. The first step, that takes place in the home, is the assessment of the patient’s medical condition, functional ability, quality of life, support system and need for resources. The second step involves sharing a comprehensive set of diagnoses, clinical plans, treatments and resources, based on the findings from the assessment.

Dan Swagerty, M.D., M.P.H., physician in the department of geriatrics at WSP, and chair and professor of geriatrics with Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine said, “WSP’s geriatric department is solely devoted to the care and welfare of older adults across the spectrum of care”.

To schedule an appointment, or for more information about the geriatrics clinic at Wright State Physicians or the SAGE Clinic, call (937) 245-7200.