Eyeing a date as early as Dec. 21 to start giving the coronavirus vaccine to staff and residents, long-term care facilities in Connecticut are working to provide education on the vaccine while awaiting further information from CVS or Walgreens.

Representatives of six nursing homes in southeastern Connecticut shared with The Day what they know — and what they don't — about the vaccine plans. All are partnering with CVS, though Walgreens also was an option.

CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said Thursday that more than 40,000 long-term care facilities across the country have selected CVS, which expects to administer vaccines in several states before Christmas.

He said roughly 1,100 CVS pharmacies will store vaccines based on geographic need, and teams conducting clinics at nursing homes will stop there to pick up necessary doses on the way.

Matthew Barrett, president and CEO of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, commended Gov. Ned Lamont for his efforts to get nursing home staff vaccinated simultaneously with residents.

Administrators at local nursing homes said they participated in one of the informational webinars that CVS Health held this week. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses about 21 days apart, and CVS will schedule three clinic dates at each partner nursing home.

The first will be for residents and staff to receive the first dose; the second will be for the booster shot for those who received the first, or the first dose for those who didn't; and the third date will be for the booster shot for those who received their first shot on the second date.

Annaliese Impink, executive vice president and chief experience officer with Sava Senior Care, said if people get their first shot on the third date, she's not sure when they'd get their booster shot. Sava provides consulting services to nursing homes, including Pendleton Health and Rehabilitation Center in Mystic.

After the Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, CVS will provide nursing homes with clinic dates and with the consent forms that must be filled out.

"We will have no say in the scheduling of the clinics, because they have to vaccinate so many people," Impink said.

In the meantime, she said, Sava nursing homes are in the process of finalizing an educational campaign, with the goal of having at least 90% of residents and staff vaccinated.

Impink said nursing homes also are updating contact information and collecting insurance cards. She explained that the vaccines are free with no out-of-pocket costs, but CVS will charge the pharmacists' administration of the vaccine to insurance companies.

Billy Nelson, executive director of Fairview Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care in Groton, said Fairview went with CVS because it is the parent company of Omnicare Pharmacy, the largest pharmaceutical provider for the nursing home industry.

Nelson said he's waiting to receive consent forms from CVS, and that most residents "will probably receive support from their family members in making the best decision for themselves." For those with dementia or Alzheimer's, responsible parties can provide consent over the phone, and staff will fill out the consent form.

None of the nursing home administrators or spokesmen who talked to The Day said their facility is mandating the vaccine, but Nelson said Fairview employees who elect to receive the vaccine will get eight hours of personal time. Nelson said that he and Director of Nursing Services Deb Morgan will be the first two employees to receive the vaccine, and he asks others to follow their lead.

Similarly, StoneRidge Executive Director Kathleen Dess said she and Allen Boutin, administrator of Avalon Health Center at StoneRidge, will take the vaccine as soon as they're able and eligible, "just to set that tone."

"We just feel very strongly that as many people as we can get to participate in the vaccination, that will help quell any spread of COVID, at least here in the community, so we're really pushing for education," Dess said.

Boutin said Avalon's plan is to divide the staff between the vaccine clinic dates. In case there are side effects and people need to call out sick, he wants to ensure there's enough staff.

He said CVS will handle all the logistics, in terms of cold storage — the vaccine must be kept at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit — and distributing the vaccine.

Bill White, president and administrator of Beechwood in New London, said CVS has provided information down to the floorplan, asking to have the room where the clinics will happen set up a certain way.

"It's really, really well thought out. I'm impressed," he said.

White said over the weekend, managers called all the families to go through the basics, and he said the feedback "was very positive."

Athena Health Care Systems spokesman Tim Brown said staff are "beginning to educate families on the process of the vaccine, that they need to fill out the consent form, that CVS will be coming into the building to do the vaccine." Locally, Athena owns Bayview Health Care in Waterford.

"We're strongly recommending that the residents and/or staff receive the vaccine, but it is not mandatory," he said. Brown said regardless of whether they get the vaccine, staff members still will be required to wear masks.

"This is unquestionably the biggest vaccination effort ever undertaken and will help prevent further tragedies, especially in this vulnerable population," Dr. Richard Feifer, chief medical officer for Genesis HealthCare, said in an email statement. "While details about states' plans are just becoming clear, we are working quickly and methodically to prepare for this effort and administer the vaccine in our centers."

One of its centers is Groton Regency.

Feifer said Genesis' goal is 100% staff vaccination "without attempting to impose a requirement," and that Genesis has "a robust communication and education initiative underway, encouraging vaccination among staff, residents and families. We are confident that the vaccine development and clinical trial process has been rigorous."

Connecticut State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Mairead Painter said vaccination was one of the main topics in her weekly Facebook Live session on Wednesday night. She wants to get the message out that it's important for residents to talk to their individual practitioners, who would know residents' medical history and risk factors.

"We have heard from residents that they're hoping that the staff get it with them," Painter said.

It's not clear yet whether people who already had COVID-19 will need to be vaccinated. Painter said she and residents also question whether not getting the vaccine would impact residents' ability to receive visitors, and how short-term residents who receive the first shot, then transition back into the community, would get their booster. She said she was working on getting answers to those questions.

e.moser@theday.com