St. Joseph's Health Care announces more than 99% of staff fully vaccinated
The deadline for staff within the St. Joseph’s health care network came and went on Tuesday.
According to President and CEO Roy Butler, 100 per cent of physicians and over 99 per cent of staff received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Regrettably, 40 individuals have not met the requirements of our vaccination policy and their employment will be terminated,” said Butler.
Those who did not meet the vaccination policy came from different departments across the hospital network and make up less than on per cent of the total staff of 4,500.
“Nineteen of them provide direct, front-facing patient care, and 21 of the 40 would provide support service and/or administrative support,” Butler added.
According to St. Joseph’s, following the announcement in the fall of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, the hospital has been educating staff and physicians on the efficacy, safety and the importance of the vaccine.
“There is no question that vaccination is the most effective strategy and our collective fight against this virus,” said Butler
There was one physician that met the criteria for a medical exemption to the vaccine, and at this time the hospital is not requiring, but encouraging staff who are eligible, to get the third dose, according to Butler
“We'll continue though to listen to the experts from public health and from infection prevention and control as we move forward. But at the current time, the third dose is not part of our mandatory vaccination policy.”
Staff who have been terminated will have the opportunity to grieve the decision through the union or apply for new positions if they get the vaccine in the future.
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