AARP Calls on Raimondo to Immediately Revamp Vaccination Plan to Protect Older Residents

AARP Calls on Raimondo to Immediately Revamp Vaccination Plan to Protect Older Residents

AARP Rhode Island on Friday called on its 132,000 members and all Rhode Islanders to join in demanding that Governor Gina Raimondo and state leaders to immediately revise the state’s vaccination plan to prioritizes and protects the lives of the state older residents.

“Rhode Islanders 50 and older account for nearly 98% of the state’s more than 2,000 COVID total deaths,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell. “The Governor and State Leaders must revise the vaccination plan so that it focuses on the most vulnerable among us.”

AARP is calling on the state to prioritize vaccinations of Rhode Islanders 50 and older immediately.

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Presently, those 75+ or 65+ are not prioritized. Massachusetts has prioritized both age groups in its Phase 2 of its vaccination which begins on February 1.

Connell said, “Now that the state has responded to AARP Rhode Island’s call to make the state’s COVID vaccination plan and its execution more transparent, I am alarmed and dismayed to find data only now available reveals that just 25% of vaccinations to date have been administered to Rhode Islanders age 60 and older.

“The current disparity -- which flies in the face of federal health recommendations and causes great concern for many older Rhode Islanders and their families -- is inexplicable, life threatening and unacceptable,” Connell added.

AARP Rhode Island is reaching out to its 132,000 Ocean State member and the public at large to demand change.

The message AARP wants sent to the Governor and State Leaders reads, in part, “Rhode Islanders 50 and older account for 98% of the state’s more than 2,000 COVID deaths. Yet only a quarter of vaccinations to date have been administered to older Rhode Islanders. You must revise the plan to vaccinate the most vulnerable among us. I am therefore calling on you to revise the state vaccination plan immediately to prioritize vaccinating our 50 and older population. There is no time to waste.”

“AARP is advocating hard to ensure every older American who wants to get the vaccine can get it,” said AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy A. LeaMond

“It’s also vital that distribution plans for authorized vaccines are smoothly implemented,” she added. “There’s no time to waste: it’s time for full-scale mobilization, and any delays or early bottlenecks in distribution systems need to be addressed urgently.  AARP remains committed to protecting the health and well-being of our nearly 38 million members and all Americans as we work together to defeat this virus.”

RI COVID Immunity Executive Order Remains in Effect

In a letter dated December 22, 2020, Connell called on Raimondo to rescind Executive Order 20-21 and its subsequent reauthorization to grant civil immunity related to COVID-19 for nursing homes and other long-term care (LTC) facilities.

“AARP has long fought for the rights of residents in nursing homes and other residential care facilities and to ensure their health, safety, quality of care, and quality of life.” Connell wrote. “This includes the right of residents and their families to seek legal redress through the courts to hold facilities accountable when residents are harmed, neglected, or abused.

Raimondo has not responded to AARP's letter.