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Protecting front-line workers has always been top of mind for us at Homewatch CareGivers Franchise Opportunities. With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming more widely available to the general public, misinformation regarding the vaccine and its effects have begun to circulate. Navigating vaccine-related misconceptions has been a joint effort for us and our franchise owners.
Keeping Franchise Owners Updated on Vaccine Availability
According to a recent survey conducted by the American Nurses Foundation, approximately 79% of healthcare workers say they haven’t received enough information about the COVID-19 vaccine or its safety, side effects, and administration.
Internally Homewatch CareGivers Franchise Opportunities has been working diligently to ensure our franchise owners are continuously updated on vaccines’ latest information and where they can be administered. This vaccine information campaign has been vital in mitigating vaccine-related myths and boosting confidence in its effectiveness. Even still, there is a lot of uncertainty and skepticism about the vaccine among individuals working in the healthcare industry.
Surgo Ventures, a company dedicated to solving the world’s health and social issues, reported that roughly 15% of healthcare workers have turned down the opportunity to be vaccinated.
We understand there’s plenty of fear regarding the unknown, which we believe to be a direct result of:
- Seeing misinformation on social media about deaths because of the vaccine
- Hearing political party affiliates talk about vaccine-related issues
- Listening to non-medical resources regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine
Jennifer Tucker, our COO, told Home Health Care News, “There are all kinds of [rumors] out there that … are largely untrue but have been getting around. And it seems like our caregiver population is especially susceptible to seeing those messages.”
This is why we want to make sure our franchise owners are getting accurate and current information so it can trickle down through the ranks.
Franchise Owner Initiated Peer-to-Peer Discussions
In some of our top offices, we have about a 75% to 80% vaccination rate amongst our caregivers, proving that our vaccine information initiative works.
Another way we’ve managed to limit misinformation is to encourage peer-to-peer discussions between vaccinated and unvaccinated caregivers. These discussions have centered around apprehension in receiving the vaccine and what to expect afterward. Zoom has become the communication medium of choice to encourage more participation, prompting one-on-one and group calls. In fact, one of our New Jersey franchise owners set up a call with 50 nurses to talk through vaccination concerns and dispel any mistruths.
Jennifer said, “If [vaccine hesitancy] is based on what sounds like just fear, which we completely understand, then it’s absolutely worthwhile to continue to try to educate [caregivers] on what the evidence says.”
As much as we strive to provide the latest information on what the company is doing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and advocate for 100% vaccination, we know there will still be some caregivers who refuse vaccination for religious reasons or harm to an unborn baby. In these cases, we want to stress the importance of being respectful to one another. We will avoid pushing a narrative that condemns those reluctant to be vaccinated and continue in our quest to spread the facts.
Navigating Client’s Vaccination Questions & Concerns
While our primary focus is on internal vaccine-related efforts, we are addressing questions from clients regarding franchise locations and if their staff has been vaccinated. We have been tackling business disruptions related to clients turning away unvaccinated caregivers and taking necessary steps to ensure our franchise owners, caregivers, and clients feel protected.
Our franchise locations are passionate about providing safe care. And we’re highly dedicated as an organization to listening to clients who have concerns about care from unvaccinated caregivers.
“We’ve had to explain, in many cases, that caregivers are on the list, and we’re working really hard to get all of our staff vaccinated. But not everyone gets vaccinated on Day 1,” Jennifer said. “For the clients themselves, many of them want to be vaccinated as well. We’ve wanted to help, so many of our offices have educated them on how they also can get in line for this.”
We make sure franchise owners thoroughly explain the vaccination process to our clients, who are usually very understanding afterward. Fortunately, we haven’t lost many clients due to unvaccinated-caregiver concerns, which is a phenomenal achievement.
As we maintain our efforts to support franchise owners in addressing questions and concerns from their staff and clients about vaccinations, we’ve seen tremendous strides being made. Our network is poised to grow exponentially in 2021 due to our franchise operators’ hard work navigating COVID-19 with professionalism and optimism.
If you’re ready to join a network of committed entrepreneurs leading the charge of dispelling vaccine misinformation, let’s get in touch! Call us at (888) 718-5318 or contact us online today.
