Dr. Eric Rackow, Chairman of the Board of eFamilyCare and Past President of Humana at Home thoughts about new vaccine distribution.

As the new vaccine is distributed, one of our country’s most vulnerable groups is being overlooked – the 2 million seniors who are homebound and another 5.3 million with physical impairments that are unable to get to a vaccination site. Vaccinating home healthcare workers falls short when you consider more than half of those age 85+ rely on a family caregiver and nearly 75% of those 90+. Avoiding waste of the vaccine is critical but in prioritizing expanded eligibility, the population of people age 75+(and in some states younger) does not represent our most vulnerable group. Rather, we should prioritize our most vulnerable seniors and the family caregivers on whom they rely. People age 85+ represent the fastest growing population in our country and it’s time our health resource prioritization reflected the needs of this vulnerable group in our society.

Eric C. Rackow, MD
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of eFamilyCare