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Days after hundreds of people protested outside five hospitals in the Henry Ford health system, COO and president of health care operations said on Wednesday that “we have never been so committed” to health. system decision to require COVID-19 vaccination of its employees.
The decision “is the right thing to do for the health and safety of our patients, our workforce and the communities we serve. If health care is not going to lead this question, who will? said CEO Bob Riney. “They depend on and trust us to ensure a safe and healthy environment and we are committed to delivering on that promise.”
The hospital system is believed to be the first in Michigan to require vaccination against COVID-19 of all its team members, students, volunteers and contractors. This includes those who work remotely. The announcement was made on June 29. Employees have until September 10 to be fully immunized.
Riney said hospital officials expected the decision to meet opposition, but said it was “largely overshadowed by the widespread support and feedback” they had received from employees, patients and the communities they serve.
He also said Saturday’s protests were not unexpected, as were others that may occur in other health systems. One is scheduled for Saturday at Trinity Health, which announced a similar vaccination mandate on July 8, with proof of vaccination due by September 21.
Following: ‘My Body, My Choice’ Protesters Tell Henry Ford Health System of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
OSF HealthCare, which operates the OSF St. Francis hospital and medical group in Escanaba, announced Wednesday that it will require all its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September.
This does not apply to members of the Michigan Nursing Association (MNA) bargaining unit. All Michigan employees who are not members of the MNA will need to be fully immunized by September 30, said Shelli Dankoff, media relations manager for OSF HealthCare.
“We did not take this decision lightly,” said Mike Cruz, COO of OSF HealthCare, which has nearly 24,000 employees at 150 sites in Illinois and Michigan.
“As healthcare providers, it is our ethical obligation to be vigilant about the safety of our patients. Vaccinations are credited with declining hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases across the country and across our ministry, and we firmly believe that vaccination against COVID-19 is the best way to protect our patients and our people. mission partners. “
Following: Genesee County Woman Wins $ 1 Million Prize in MI Shot To Win COVID-19 Vaccine Lottery
The health care system, like others, has existing vaccination policies requiring employees to get their flu shot every year and keep abreast of other vaccinations, such as measles, mumps and rubella.
Like Henry Ford Health System and Trinity Health, there will be exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine for religious or medical reasons if requested, documented and approved. Employees in the three health systems who do not receive a COVID-19 vaccine or exemption are at risk of losing their jobs.
Officials said just over 70% of the 33,000 employees of the Henry Ford healthcare system received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up 2% from the June 29 announcement.
They expect that number to increase through August, although vaccinations among the general public are declining. They said doctors and executives have the highest vaccination rate, with doctors surpassing 90%, and entry-level positions, such as housekeeping and dietetics, as well as remote workers have the highest rate. lowest vaccination rate.
Riney said they are developing mitigation strategies to ensure they have the right amount of staff so that there are no gaps in the event of employee departure or termination.
Following: Trinity Health to require all staff and contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19
As of July 8, Trinity Health said nearly 75% of its 117,000 employees in 22 states had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Dankoff said about 65% of all OSF HealthCare employees are vaccinated.
Riney said that since the Henry Ford Health System announcement, 20 other hospitals or health systems across the country have announced that they will also require COVID-19 vaccines from their employees. In total, he said, 41 hospitals or health systems have announced vaccine needs for their employees.
And he expects that number to rise, especially if the US Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to the vaccines.
Riney said the healthcare system holds listening sessions and answers questions from employees who have questions.
Following: Henry Ford Health System to Require Workers to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
“The math is the math. We see where we have high vaccination rates, we keep the virus and its newer variants at bay, and where we have lower vaccination rates, we are seeing slow but worrying trends again.” , Riney mentioned.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a White House briefing on Friday that across the country, the seven-day averages of cases, hospitalizations and deaths were increasing.
“There is a clear message passing,” she said. “It is becoming an unvaccinated pandemic.”
As of Wednesday, more than 5 million Michiganders aged 16 and older (62.9% of that population) had at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state’s Vaccine Dashboard.
As of Wednesday morning, COVID-19 hospitalizations at the Henry Ford Health System were 28 across its five hospitals, a slight increase from a few months ago, said Dr Adnan Munkarah, executive vice president and clinical director of the health system. . He said the test positivity rates for COVID-19 were 3.6% and had worked more than 1% to 2% for several consecutive weeks.
He said health system trends are similar to what’s seen nationally – at least 95% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are not vaccinated.
Following: Michigan now has 54 known cases of the COVID-19 delta variant. What does that mean
In Michigan, there have been 71 cases of the delta variant, a mutation of the virus that originated in India, identified on Tuesday – compared to 58 cases reported on Friday, according to data from the state’s health department.
Cases of the variant, which health officials say are more transmissible and threaten anyone unvaccinated, have been identified in 21 counties and the city of Detroit. Thirteen cases involved out-of-state residents, the data showed.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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