PeaceHealth to require its Whatcom County healthcare workers to have COVID-19 vaccine
PeaceHealth announced Tuesday, Aug. 3, that it will require caregivers, including those in Whatcom County and at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning at the end of the month.
Beginning Aug. 31, all providers, students, contractors, vendors and volunteers with the health system will be required to either receive a vaccine or submit a qualifying medical exemption, according to a PeaceHealth news release.
Those who are not vaccinated will be subject to regular COVID-19 testing and additional masking and could face reassignment to non-patient care settings and other safety protocols, the release states.
“Though nearly 80% of PeaceHealth caregivers have already been vaccinated, the rise in hospitalizations in our communities is a stark reminder that we are facing a public health emergency and we must do more,” PeaceHealth’s Chief Physician Executive Dr. Doug Koekkoek said in a release. “We believe all healthcare workers who are medically able should get a COVID-19 vaccine to keep themselves, our patients, and our communities safe.
“Doing so is part of our mission to promote personal and community health and our vision to make sure that every person receives safe, compassionate care.”
The move came one day after the Washington State Hospital Association Board of Directors adopted a resolution supporting the vaccination for all healthcare workers and encouraging healthcare systems in the state to adopt similar measures.
“Our state’s health systems and hospitals have seen firsthand how debilitating and deadly this disease can be,” President and CEO of the association Cassie Sauer said in a release announcing that move. “When the COVID-19 vaccines were first released, WSHA and its members strongly encouraged everyone who was eligible, including hospital and health system employees, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the months since, clinical data has shown the COVID-19 vaccines to be extraordinarily safe and effective and our best tool to prevent spread of the disease.”
It also comes less than a week after the St. Joseph hospital asked Whatcom County residents with non-emergent medical needs to seek medical assistance from somewhere other than the hospital’s emergency room, as emergency rooms across Northwest Washington are experiencing higher than normal patient volumes..
Though COVID was partly to blame for that increase, hospital spokesperson Bev Mayhew said other reasons, including delayed routine care during the pandemic and injuries from people involved in more outdoor activities, also were causing the increased capacity.
The hospital reported Tuesday that it was currently caring for 10 COVID-19 patients, which was up from last week but still well below its pandemic high of 31 reported Jan. 29 and again June 7-8.
Tuesday’s announcement requiring PeaceHealth caregivers be vaccinated was in line with many other health systems across the country, according to the release, including the Catholic Health Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.
“New variants of COVID-19 pose a critical threat to those unable to be vaccinated, including children and the medically vulnerable,” PeaceHealth System Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Bob K. Pelz said in the release. “It is our moral obligation to first do no harm and act for the common good. COVID-19 vaccines are proven to be the best way to protect ourselves and reduce the likelihood of harming others.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 12:13 PM.
