Vaccinations to be mandated at four Huron-Perth hospitals

Wingham, Ont. -

Doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers at four Huron-Perth hospitals had better roll up their sleeves, because vaccines could soon be mandatory.

“We recognize the importance of the vaccines. We want them to be voluntary. We are focusing significant energy on vaccine confidence, but we also realize we have an accountability, primarily for safety. And, if we don’t reach what we think is a reasonable threshold of vaccine uptake then we will go that extra step and make the vaccine mandatory,” says Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance CEO Andrew Williams.

Currently, 83 per cent of staff, 92 per cent of physicians and 81 per cent of midwives at hospitals in Stratford, St. Marys, Clinton and Seaforth are fully vaccinated. Collectively, that’s 85 per cent.

Williams says if that number doesn’t reach 95 per cent by Sept. 30, vaccines will be mandatory for every member of the Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) team.

As far as Williams knows, they are the first hospital network in Ontario with the intention of making vaccines mandatory.

“As of September, any new hires will be required to be vaccinated, any volunteers who come back to the organization will be required to be vaccinated and any students coming in will be required to be vaccinated,” says Williams. “If we reach a point where there’s still a conflict, it will be a condition of employment and people will need to make decisions accordingly.”

As of Sept. 13, all unvaccinated HPHA staff will have to participate in mandatory COVID-19 education and be tested for the virus before every shift.

“I really want to congratulate Andrew (Williams) and the HPHA board for their leadership. For taking this step to ensure not only that their staff and volunteers are protected, but also all patients that enter their facilities, are protected,” says Dr. Miriam Klassen, Huron-Perth’s medical officer of health.

“I’ve had a lot of feedback already today from members of our team, saying thank you. I think that’s the prevailing sentiment when you look at the numbers we’ve had. The vast majority are on that track and we’re now hoping we can support the rest over the coming weeks, in answering questions they may have,” says Williams.

You can view the full Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Board motion here.