Sanford to require staff to get vaccinated

Sanford Health Systems announced July 22 that it would require all employees, including its Good Samaritan Society locations, to get COVID-19 vaccinations by Nov. 1.
Dr. Josh Crabtree, Luverne, said the move was prompted by patient requests and common sense safety considerations.
“It’s really important that people understand we have patients with vulnerabilities coming to us every day, asking our staff if they’ve had the vaccine,” said Crabtree, vice president of Sanford Clinic for the Sioux Falls network.
“They depend on us and our staff to be as safe as we can be. … We want people to trust that they will not be harmed when they come to us for care. This is the reason we are going to require all of our staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine.”
He said 81 percent of Sanford Luverne employees are fully vaccinated, but he said he expects all but a small number, some of whom have health reasons, to agree to get the vaccine.
Sanford Health employees are already required to have several other vaccines, including the annual flu shot. Under the new policy, any COVID-19 vaccine received in the past 12 months will qualify for the 2021 requirement.
All unvaccinated employees can get their vaccine at any time prior to Nov. 1, and Sanford allows certain exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
Sanford’s policy follows a national trend among hospitals and health systems that are implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care personnel.
Mayo Clinic, for example, followed suit this week, as have government entities including New York City and California state employees.
Crabtree said the reasons for requiring the vaccine for employees are outweighing doubts among a shrinking minority of those who have resisted getting the shot.
“The really important message is that the vaccine is safe,” he said Monday. “I know there are questions people have had about it not being FDA approved. It’s had emergency FDA authorization, but there’s not a big difference.”
He said the vaccine is standing the test of time, and is therefore gaining trust.
“The more experience we have with this vaccine the more we understand that the safety we presumed early on has been confirmed over and over again,” Crabtree said.
“If this weren’t the case, we would not be requiring our employees to be vaccinated.”
According to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, United States nursing homes showed a 96-percent decline in COVID-19 cases within three months of initial doses for nursing home residents and staff.
COVID-related deaths in nursing homes declined 91 percent in the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, Sanford Health president and CEO Bill Gassen said the vaccine requirement for employees is an important step toward community immunity.
“This is the right thing to do for our patients and residents, people and communities,” Gassen said. “As more variants continue to spread and threaten our communities, we must do everything we can to protect each other and our loved ones.”