Henry Ford Health System to Make COVID-19 Vaccines Mandatory for Workers

The Henry Ford Health System will become the first Michigan health system to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for its workforce, the hospital system said this morning.

The mandate will take effect on September 10 and will apply to “all team members, students, volunteers and contractors,” a press release said.

“We recognize the magnitude of this decision and we did not take it lightly,” President and CEO Wright Lassiter III said in the press release.

The health system has around 33,000 employees and around 68% have been vaccinated so far. Henry Ford operates hospitals in Detroit, Macomb, West Bloomfield, Wyandotte and Jackson.

“The healthcare system will be offering listening sessions throughout the summer to help team members navigate the tenure process,” the press release said, adding that exemptions will be offered to those who have “valid medical or religious reasons”.

The press release says widespread vaccination in Michigan has led to a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

“Yet emerging variants like Delta put those who are not vaccinated at an extremely high risk of hospitalization and death and leave hospitals vulnerable to potential future increases,” the press release said.

The health care system already demands an annual flu shot for workers and forces them to keep abreast of other vaccines like measles, mumps, rubella and pertussis.

Yet making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory has been more controversial for workers as it is still under emergency use authorization.

However, earlier this month, a Texas federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Methodist Hospital in Houston by employees who challenged its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In the written decision of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Judge Lynn N. Hughes said the plaintiffs had no records, saying employers were allowed to force vaccines on their workers.

With more than 150 million Americans vaccinated since December with very few serious side effects, experts say the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is now well established.

“Data and science continue to strengthen the safety and efficacy of these vaccines,” Dr. Adnan Munkarah, Henry Ford’s clinical director, said in the press release. “As we look forward to the upcoming FDA granting permanent approval to Pfizer and other vaccines, we believe this decision is in the best interests of our patients and members, our team members, and the communities we work with. let’s serve. “

Lassiter highlighted the growing number of hospitals across the country requiring the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We are not the first healthcare organization to do this and we will not be the last,” he said.

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