“Requiring the COVID-19 vaccination for all of our health-care providers and staff is the responsible thing to do, not only to protect our patients, their families and our workforce, but also our community as a whole, and especially — certainly, from my perspective — kids, who aren’t yet eligible for vaccinations,” said Michael Fisher, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s.
Not included in that Cincinnati group locally are Atrium Medical Center and Kettering Health Hamilton (formerly Fort Hamilton Hospital), which are part of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.
Mark Clement, president and CEO of TriHealth, explained the reason for the new requirement: “Last week, Director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Dr. Rochelle Walensky, stated that the war has changed, and the delta variant is now one of the most transmissible viruses that we know about.”
Clement said all 50 states are seeing cases of the COVID-19 increase because of the delta variant, which is more dangerous and transmissible than prior strains. That has happened in Greater Cincinnati, but “to a lesser degree because of a higher rate of vaccinations than we’ve seen in some states around the nation.”
Clement called the disease a once-in-a-century pandemic, adding, “This fourth wave is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
“Safety really is our foundational responsibility,” Fisher said.
“Each of our institutions has independently and individually made the decision to require the COVID-19 vaccination for everyone who works or volunteers in our systems,” Fisher said.
“This is also about providing reassurance to everyone in our community that it’s safe to come to seek the inpatient, outpatient, preventive healthcare that they need, regardless of which of the health systems they seek that care from,” Fisher said.
At Atrium, spokeswoman Jennifer Burcham said, “At this time, Premier Health has not made the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for employees. We strongly encourage Premier Health employees to get vaccinated, and a majority in our organization have done so. Regardless of whether an employee chooses to receive the vaccine, Premier Health continues to take appropriate steps for patient safety, such as requiring employees to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment when caring for patients.
James Buechele, spokesman for Kettering Health, said that hospital group “is currently reviewing our COVID-19 vaccine policy. We encourage all of our employees and community members to get the COVID-19 vaccine to help prevent the spread of the virus.”
Sarah Hackenbracht, CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, said her organization’s hospitals are monitoring the situation and have been in close contact with Cincinnati hospitals during the pandemic. At this time, there is no overall requirement for the hospitals’ staffs. But she noted Dayton Children’s Hospital recently added a similar requirement of all staff, volunteers, students and onsite contractors.
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