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ST. LOUIS – In keeping with long-standing practices requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated against serious infectious diseases for the safety of patients and staff, BJC HealthCare will require COVID-19 vaccination for employees and those working in healthcare facilities. BJC, which includes Alton Memorial Hospital, starting this fall.
Employees will need to be fully immunized by September 15 prior to the annual flu and respiratory season, unless a medical or religious exception is granted.
As a traditional season of viral respiratory illnesses, fall will bring a high risk of COVID-19 resurgence. With the full vaccination of staff, BJC plans to be as prepared as possible when many viral diseases with similar symptoms circulate.
“As a healthcare provider, major employer and community leader, BJC wants to ensure that we do everything possible to keep our patients, our valued staff and our communities safe,” said Rich Liekweg, President and CEO of BJC.
“The vaccines available are among the most effective and safest ever developed,” he said. “We are delighted that across our organization we have achieved an employee vaccination rate of almost 75%. We are now working to ensure that 25% of our employees, who have not yet been vaccinated, have access to evidence-based information and can easily get the vaccine before the fall respiratory illness season. “
Given the continuing risk of the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the BJC also continues to strongly encourage vaccination of the general public. Resources to help answer questions about the vaccine, safety, side effects and more, or to plan a vaccination, are available by visiting www.bjc.org/vaccinate.
Current vaccines appear to provide significant immunity against most variants of COVID-19 to date, and increasing vaccination rates is the most effective measure to prevent a new wave of cases in the community. As further evidence of vaccine effectiveness, despite encouraging declines in the total number of COVID-19 cases in the community, the virus continues to spread easily in unvaccinated populations, where case rates appear to be similar to those in the community. ‘few months ago.
“Making the COVID vaccine mandatory is the most important thing we can do to protect our team members and our patients,” Liekweg said. “The availability of the vaccine represents our most promising route to a return to the lives we have missed so much. We are already seeing the positive impact of the vaccine on the health of our community – physically and emotionally – as those vaccinated resume their activities with their family and friends. “
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