Hugging grandchildren. Bunco parties. Laughing with good friends. These are just a few of the heartfelt reasons Atria residents gave for “sleeving up” today as they were among the first in the country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The first round of vaccines was administered today at Atria Springdale and will continue at Atria St. Matthews, Atria Stony Brook, Atria Elizabethtown and Atria Highland Crossing through the end of the month of December.

This is a critical early milestone in the “Sleeve Up Atria” campaign to vaccinate more than 20,000 residents and almost 12,000 employees across 26 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces, as soon as vaccines are made available to their communities.

Atria Senior Living CEO John A. Moore also rolled up his sleeve for the vaccine today. “I knew some people felt a little nervous about getting vaccinated, so I wanted to lead the way by setting a good example,” said Moore. “We’ve been waiting for this day ever since the promise of a vaccine became a reality. I’m so proud of our residents and employees across the U.S. and Canada who have done so much during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect our communities and each other.”

When asked if she was excited to get her vaccine today, Atria resident Engolfia “Georgia” Christoff enthusiastically replied, “You better believe it! I missed Thanksgiving with my family this year and they are just up the street. I’m looking forward to three weeks from now when I get to be with them again.”

While residents are understandably eager to resume activities that they enjoyed before COVID-19 hit, Atria will continue to follow safety protocols and conduct ongoing testing with support from Mayo Clinic Laboratories as we continue to administer the vaccine.

“Atria’s stringent protocols and testing have served us well,” said Moore, “but it’s the vaccine that we hope will be the knockout punch we need to give this disease. We can’t wait for the vaccine to come to every single one of our communities so that we can continue to do all we can to enable our residents to live their best lives, regardless of the circumstances.”

To see how Atria is creating the safest possible environment for residents and staff, visit AtriaSafeTogether.com.