Hospital association supports mandating vaccinations for health care workers
The New Hampshire Hospital Association called Tuesday for mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers in hospitals and all health care settings, citing state data showing unvaccinated people make up 99 percent of COVID-19 cases and 98 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
“The COVID-19 vaccine prevents people from becoming seriously ill, requiring hospitalization, or dying from the virus,” said Dr. Don Caruso, president and CEO of Cheshire Medical Center and chair of the association’s board of trustees, in a written statement. “As public health leaders, our mission is to protect the lives and well-being of both our patients and our staff, and the COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way we can do that.”
On Tuesday, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health announced it will require all of its 13,000 workers to be vaccinated by the end of September, including those working remotely. Nearly 80 percent of staff have already been vaccinated, according to a news release.
The hospital association has been weighing the decision to call publicly for mandated vaccinations with its hospital members since June as an important step in protecting both patients and health care staff, said spokesperson Vanessa Stafford. Last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to announce it will require its frontline health care workers to be fully vaccinated.
Read more: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/hospital-association-supports-mandating-vaccination-for-health-care-workers/
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