Kaiser makes COVID vaccine mandatory for staff. What about other Stanislaus hospitals?
Kaiser Permanente said Monday it is making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for its employees and physicians who are not yet vaccinated against the virus, which is causing new outbreaks in California.
The nation’s largest nonprofit health organization said the vaccines are a step in protecting the health care workforce, Kaiser patients and members of the community.
The announcement was made as workers at medical facilities in California are expected to start complying this month with a recent state order to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested regularly.
The Oakland-based Kaiser has a membership of 12.5 million people served by facilities in eight states, including a hospital in north Modesto and medical clinics in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
“For 16 months, we have been doing everything we can to save lives, care for COVID-19 patients and prevent our communities from contracting this deadly virus,” said Dr. Ramin Davidoff, a top executive of the Permanente Federation. “The COVID-19 vaccines offer us the path to move beyond the pandemic in the same way vaccination has brought an end to the epidemics of smallpox, polio, measles and other deadly diseases.”
According to a Kaiser news release, 78 percent of Kaiser’s employees have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus under a voluntary policy. The vaccination rate is higher than 95 percent among physicians in the Permanente Medical Group.
Kaiser set a target date of Sept. 30 for having a fully vaccinated workforce. The vaccines will be mandatory for unvaccinated staff members unless they apply for a medical or religious exemption.
The health care system has 216,000 employees and a medical group with 23,000 physicians. Kaiser facilities have cared for more than 900,000 patients suffering from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The news release said Kaiser is working with labor unions to implement the vaccination requirement.
California recently required all health care workers and employees in high-risk congregate settings to show proof of complete vaccination or get tested for the coronavirus on a weekly basis.
A spokesperson for Doctors Medical Center in Modesto said the hospital supports COVID vaccinations for community members and hospital employees. COVID vaccine is not mandatory for staff at this time at Doctors and Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, said Krista Deans, communications manager for Tenet Healthcare’s Northern California Group.
Tenet is the owner of the Modesto hospital and Emanuel in Turlock.
Deans said the state’s new order regarding health worker vaccinations will go into effect Aug. 9 and must be implemented by Aug. 23.
“At that time, in compliance with the public health order, our employees must show proof of full vaccination or get tested regularly,” Deans wrote in an email.
When asked about its vaccine policy for employees, Sacramento-based Sutter Health referred to information that is posted online. The statement said Sutter is developing a workforce vaccination policy and “remains committed to the health and safety of our patients, workforce and the communities we serve.”
Sutter said it’s complying with the recent state health order regarding COVID vaccinations and also complies with local health orders. The nonprofit health organization is affiliated with Memorial Medical Center in Modesto and the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation physician offices.
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 3:46 PM.
