Ninety-five-year-old Rita Turnovsky is hoping she will get vaccinated soon.Despite the COVID-19 vaccine being available since December, Turnovsky and hundreds of seniors like her are still waiting for their first doses at Carefree Senior Living in North Natomas.”I used to go bingo every Sunday,” Turnovsky said of her life before COVID-19. “I’d go to the store, the bank.”Fear of the virus took her freedom away. Turnovsky is just one of 600 seniors in her independent living facility grappling with daily isolation and fear of contracting coronavirus. Many do not know how to access the internet and don’t have smartphones.”Very lonely,” said Turnovsky. “Why do I even get up in the morning?”Community Manager Aileen Enriquez says it’s not just the public health restrictions creating difficulty. They know COVID-19 can be especially deadly for their residents.”It is important they are taken care of first, they are at the highest risk,” said Enriquez.The facility has tried repeatedly to bring in an on-site vaccination clinic, but they’ve heard nothing after calling the state and the county.”The for the state even as recently as yesterday, rings, rings, rings, picks up and goes to dead air,” said Carrie Barone, Director of Operators for Carefree Living.KCRA 3 tried the same numbers for the county and the state. An automated message with the county said calls would be returned within seven days. We were on hold with the state for an hour. No one picked up.Sacramento County representative Brenda Bongiorno shared in a statement that the county would “check with staff to connect with the senior community…” adding “vaccine supply is still extremely limited.”A spokesperson with Mayor Pro Tempore Angelique Ashby’s office said they’d shared information with Carefree Living about a nearby vaccination site at Natomas High School.”The point is not all of our residents are mobile enough to be able to go out anywhere,” said Enriquez.A representative with the state health department told KCRA 3 this issue does not fall under their purview and directed us back to the county and the Department of Social Services.To date, only 100 residents at Carefree in North Natomas have been able to get the vaccine, with assistance from family or being scheduled by health care providers.
Ninety-five-year-old Rita Turnovsky is hoping she will get vaccinated soon.
Despite the COVID-19 vaccine being available since December, Turnovsky and hundreds of seniors like her are still waiting for their first doses at Carefree Senior Living in North Natomas.
“I used to go bingo every Sunday,” Turnovsky said of her life before COVID-19. “I’d go to the store, the bank.”
Fear of the virus took her freedom away. Turnovsky is just one of 600 seniors in her independent living facility grappling with daily isolation and fear of contracting coronavirus. Many do not know how to access the internet and don’t have smartphones.
“Very lonely,” said Turnovsky. “Why do I even get up in the morning?”
Community Manager Aileen Enriquez says it’s not just the public health restrictions creating difficulty. They know COVID-19 can be especially deadly for their residents.
“It is important they are taken care of first, they are at the highest risk,” said Enriquez.
The facility has tried repeatedly to bring in an on-site vaccination clinic, but they’ve heard nothing after calling the state and the county.
“The [number] for the state even as recently as yesterday, rings, rings, rings, picks up and goes to dead air,” said Carrie Barone, Director of Operators for Carefree Living.
KCRA 3 tried the same numbers for the county and the state. An automated message with the county said calls would be returned within seven days. We were on hold with the state for an hour. No one picked up.
Sacramento County representative Brenda Bongiorno shared in a statement that the county would “check with staff to connect with the senior community…” adding “vaccine supply is still extremely limited.”
A spokesperson with Mayor Pro Tempore Angelique Ashby’s office said they’d shared information with Carefree Living about a nearby vaccination site at Natomas High School.
“The point is not all of our residents are mobile enough to be able to go out anywhere,” said Enriquez.
A representative with the state health department told KCRA 3 this issue does not fall under their purview and directed us back to the county and the Department of Social Services.
To date, only 100 residents at Carefree in North Natomas have been able to get the vaccine, with assistance from family or being scheduled by health care providers.