LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is implementing a policy requiring all employees and clinical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a memo issued by CEO John J. Herman this week.
Employees have until September 1 to receive their final vaccination doses, Herman said.
"In mid-December 2020, as the first vaccine for SARS CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was released under an Emergency Use Authorization, we did not immediately mandate the vaccine in order to allow more information about its safety and efficacy to become available," Herman said in the memo. "Since then, all UPHS employees and clinical staff have been offered the vaccine, and nearly 70 percent – more than 33,000 people – are now fully vaccinated. There have been no serious side effects.
"The vaccines have proven to be very safe and highly effective in preventing hospitalizations, death, and spread of the virus. We are seeing a decline in infections among health care workers and in the communities we serve. It is now clear that the responsible course of action is to require vaccination of all our employees and clinical staff for the protection of our patients and our workforce."
Under the new policy, all new hires must provide evidence that they are fully vaccinated, effective July 1, Herman said. If not previously vaccinated, new hires will be required to complete the vaccination series two weeks prior to beginning work.
To support this new policy, Herman said, education sessions on the vaccine and the opportunity to have questions about the vaccine answered by Penn Medicine physicians, nurses and pharmacists will be available throughout the summer.
Employees who are not able to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons will be required to apply for an exemption, in accordance with the process that will be developed for this purpose, similar to the flu vaccine policy and process currently in place, Herman said.
Requests for an exemption "will be carefully evaluated and are not guaranteed," he added.
"Current staff seeking an exemption for medical or religious reasons should understand that it may not be possible to accommodate them in their current roles," Herman said. "For new hires, exemption requests for medical or religious reasons will be considered only if the position they have been offered can accommodate an exemption from the vaccine mandate.:
After September 1, employees who remain unvaccinated and who do not have an approved exemption from vaccination will be subject to discipline or sanctions that may ultimately preclude their ability to continue to work for the healthcare system, Herman said.
Penn Medicine LG Health issued the following statement in response to the new policy:
"As an institution grounded in the science and art of healthcare, we believe it is imperative for Penn Medicine to take the lead in requiring employee vaccinations to protect our patients and staff and to set an example to the broader community as we work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic."
