Wealthy donors reportedly received COVID-19 vaccinations ahead of staff and residents at an upscale assisted-living company in Florida
- The CEO of a Florida healthcare provider personally invited wealthy donors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations that were intended for residents and staff of long-term-care facilities, according to a new Washington Post report.
- MorseLife Health System CEO Kevin Meyers offered the coronavirus vaccinations to board members and donors, as well as to members of the Palm Beach Country Club, the Post reported.
- Florida has begun vaccinating the general population, though supplies are limited and you must be 65-year-old or older to qualify. MorseLife was not authorized to vaccinate nonresidents, according to the report.
Wealthy donors to a Florida-based nursing home and assisted-living facility were offered early access to COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a new report in the Washington Post.
MorseLife Health System CEO Keith Myers sent personal letters to donors, and called them directly, in order to offer early access to the coronavirus vaccinations, the report says.
"He asked me if I wanted to have a vaccine. I'm one of the people who has given him some money," Ryna Greenbaum told the Post regarding her exchange with Myers.
MorseLife Health System advertises itself as providing "five-star senior living," and offers a variety of services including assisted living and nursing. The COVID vaccinations supplied to MorseLife were intended for use on staff and residents, and the company was not authorized to administer vaccines to the general public, a health official told the Washington Post.
Approximately one-fifth of Floridians are aged 65 and over, and - breaking with CDC guidelines - the state began vaccinating its general population in late December starting with that demographic. But organization has been a major issue, with different counties in Florida using different systems for signing up.
In some places, people lined up overnight for a chance to get vaccinated in first-come, first-served situations, NPR reported. In others, phone lines were flooded and websites crashed as people attempted to sign up.
It's not clear how many vaccinations MorseLife gave to donors, but every donor who confirmed with the Post that they received it is over 65 years old.
"If MorseLife is giving this vaccine away to the well-connected, they need to be held accountable for that," State Rep. Omari Hardy told the Post.
MorseLife Health System representatives didn't respond to a request for comment as of publishing.
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