Guernsey Health facing vaccine mandate next month
Like medical facilities across the state and nation, Guernsey Health System and its associates — Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, Superior Med Physicians Group and United Ambulance in Cambridge — are working to meet the federal government's vaccine mandate.
On Nov. 5, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a rule that all employees of medical facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid will have to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Employees must be fully vaccinated by next month except for those who have an exemption. According to the mandate, those not vaccinated by that date will not be allowed to work in a medical facility, unless they qualify for medical or religious exemptions. The regulation for medical facilities does not allow for the daily testing option.
“Guernsey Health System will require all associates, medical and clinical staff, vendors, volunteers and students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by January 4, 2022, to comply with the federal government’s vaccine mandate for health care workers," said Teratia Welch, spokesperson for Guernsey Health System. "All hospitals and health systems must comply with this requirement."
Welch also noted that any unvaccinated employees must have pending requests for religious or medical exemptions by Dec. 5, or begin their vaccine series by that date. Employees who fail to comply with the vaccine requirement mandate will be considered as having resigned their positions.
Guernsey Health System will work to ensure that there is adequate opportunity for unvaccinated employees to get the vaccine. Welch said 539 of Guernsey Health System's 740 employees had received their vaccinations as of Nov. 22.
She said it is too early in the process to know how many employees have filed for exemption as they are still early in the process and collecting that information.
"Every hospital that takes CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) money must comply with the same mandate," Welch said.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Guernsey Health facing vaccine mandate next month
