After hospital outbreaks, Mills “seriously considers” vaccination mandate for Maine healthcare workers

The Mills administration said on Tuesday it was “seriously considering” a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Maine healthcare workers, making the announcement the day after two hospitals were reported of outbreaks and six weeks after the association of state hospitals urged to take such a step.

“(Governor Janet Mills) is seriously considering a vaccination requirement for healthcare workers, a measure that is supported by the Maine Hospital Association and the American Medical Association,” said Lindsay Crete, a spokesperson for Mills, in a press release to the Press Herald. . “The governor is discussing this possibility with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine CDC and expects to make a final decision in the coming days.”

The mandate has been under discussion since June, when Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association, raised the topic with state health officials.

Crete said that “Vaccinations are the best tool we have to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people of Maine and to end this pandemic. It is crucial that health workers and all eligible people in Maine are vaccinated. Healthcare workers play a vital role in protecting the health of the people of Maine and must take every precaution against this dangerous virus, especially given the highly transmissible delta variant. “

The delta variant has fueled a wave of COVID-19 cases in Maine and across the country over the past month. The state’s seven-day average of new daily cases stood at 138 on Tuesday, about seven times more than a month ago.

Portland’s Maine Medical Center reported an outbreak of nine cases among emergency department staff on Monday, and Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast reported eight staff cases. Maine Med updated the number of its cases to 14 in total on Tuesday, including 10 in the emergency room and four unrelated cases in a medical floor.

The Maine CDC is also investigating outbreaks at two long-term care facilities, including 21 cases at Capitol City Manor in Augusta and four cases at Gorham House.

Michaud said on Tuesday he was still pushing for a statewide mandate, but unless the MHA considers recommending that all hospital workers get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We thought delta was an incentive,” Michaud said. “Seeing these two epidemics (in the hospital) really gives a lot of urgency to this being done for the healthcare workers. “

Michaud said the “patient safety ticket” is a statewide mandate.

“If you want to do it the right way, the state should do it for all healthcare workers,” he said.

Some other states, including New York, California, and Washington, have started mandating vaccines for some or all healthcare workers. Massachusetts and Connecticut require vaccination for staff in long-term care facilities and nursing homes. At least 10 other states require healthcare workers who do not get vaccinated to wear masks and get tested at least once a week.

Two of the state’s major hospital networks – MaineHealth and Northern Light Health – have launched warrants. MaineHealth, the parent organization of Maine Med, has set a date of Oct. 1 for its 23,000 employees to be fully immunized, while Northern Light’s mandate will take effect once the Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccines. The vaccines are currently in use under emergency use authorization, and full FDA approval is expected in a few weeks.

Millinocket General Hospital was the first hospital in Maine to require staff vaccination. It took Northern Light and MaineHealth several days to pass their policies.

Michaud expects other hospitals to establish vaccination requirements, but it would be better to have a uniform mandate for healthcare workers across the state.

Meanwhile, outbreaks in MaineHealth hospitals should remind employees to get vaccinated soon, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, health improvement manager for MaineHealth and sister of the governor.

“With the delta surge, we really hope the message gets across that you really need to start getting the vaccine as soon as possible,” Mills said. To be fully vaccinated by October 1, workers must be vaccinated within the next two weeks.

Andrew Soucier, spokesperson for Northern Light Health, the parent company of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Mercy Hospital in Portland, said they were not commenting publicly on a possible world-wide tenure. ‘State for COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers.

“Our goal is to have our employees vaccinated and to encourage vaccination in the community,” Soucier said.

In Maine Med, the outbreak is still under investigation by the Maine CDC, but hospital officials said some of the cases were “groundbreaking” cases among vaccinated workers.

Todd Ricker, spokesperson for the Maine State Nurses Association, which represents the hospital’s unionized nurses, said in a statement that “We are deeply concerned about a COVID outbreak at Maine Medical Center. … We are assessing the situation to find out how it happened.

Mills, of MaineHealth, said details of the Maine Med outbreak were being investigated, but generally with the virus circulating more in Maine, patients are more likely to bring the virus to the hospital. Even though the hospital tests each patient upon arrival, they may initially test negative for COVID-19, and then, for example, three days after starting a week-long hospital stay, test positive.

This positive test triggers testing for all health workers who were close contacts of the patient, unless the health workers are wearing full protective gear. Vaccinated staff may be asymptomatic but test positive for the virus, Mills said.

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