Baptist Health to require COVID-19 vaccines for staff

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Baptist Health announced on Tuesday that it will require its team members and professional staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 15.

The announcement comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations increase in northeast Florida.

The health care system has said it will grant certain exceptions to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for employees.

“In accordance with the organization’s influenza vaccination policy, Baptist Health will grant exemptions for medical contraindications and sincere religious beliefs,” Baptist Health said in a press release.

New variants have contributed to a 300% increase in hospitalizations, according to Baptist Health.

“While we respect personal choice, the aggressive infection rates resulting from the Delta variant made it necessary to take this action,” said Michael Mayo, president and CEO of Baptist Health.

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“We were attentive to those who were deeply concerned about the vaccination,” continued Mayo. “But now is the time to set a deadline. In keeping with our mission and core values, it is our ethical responsibility to do everything possible to protect the health of our patients, team members, and the communities we serve. “

On July 26, the Mayo Clinic, the American Medical Association and dozens of other healthcare organizations called on healthcare providers to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory among their employees, citing an increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths related to the highly transmissible delta variant. , which quickly became the dominant strain of COVID-19. The next day, Ascension announced that it would require COVID-19 vaccinations for its associates, whether or not they are treating patients.

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Baptist Health said that among its patients, more than 90% of those hospitalized in recent weeks were not vaccinated.

“In our defense against the new variants that are invading our region, vaccination is the most powerful tool we have,” said Dr. Timothy Groover, Acting Chief Medical Officer at Baptist Health. “The evidence strongly confirms that vaccination against COVID-19 reduces hospitalizations, severity of illness and deaths. In order for us to take care of the community, we must keep ourselves healthy. “

Baptist Health has more than 12,500 employees.