Sentara Healthcare to Require COVID 19 Vaccine for Employees

Today, Sentara RMH Medical Center and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, as part of a larger system announcement, shared that they have expanded their employee vaccination policies to include the expectation that all team members and medical staff members will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021. This timeline gives employees eight weeks to become fully vaccinated now that the FDA has approved at least one of the vaccines. This announcement comes after the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association's July 18, 2021 statement supporting COVID-19 vaccine requirements for all hospital and health system employees.

The highly contagious Delta variant is causing another spike in the number of COVID-19 infections nationally, with unvaccinated individuals at the highest risk. As the community's front-line defense against COVID-19, Sentara believes it has a moral and ethical responsibility to protect the health of its team members, patients, residents, and communities through a vaccination requirement.

Over the past several months, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has proven COVID-19 vaccines to effectively protect against the COVID-19 virus. The Pfizer vaccine, for example, carries 88% efficacy against the highly contagious and rapidly spreading Delta variant. After thoughtful consideration and deliberation of this data and the positive impacts required vaccination would have for the community, Sentara joins a growing list of hospitals and health systems across the U.S. in protecting public health by requiring vaccination. Additionally, both statewide and national organizations support vaccination requirements, including the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association.

"One of our longstanding commitments is to keep our community safe and to be a healthcare provider the community can safely choose," Regional President Paul Gaden, said. "Based on data and evidence, the vaccine helps us do precisely that."

Sentara team members were notified of the new requirement this morning. The requirement will extend to all affiliated physicians, volunteers, students, and others who work in and for Sentara. In addition, Sentara outlined its specific vaccine policies, provided resources about the safety and benefits of vaccination, and information on how to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine.

"I am beyond grateful to our team members for all of their hard work over the past year," states Gaden. "With this decision, we are taking the next step to put this pandemic behind us and continue to work together to protect our team members and community."