Piedmont Healthcare, including Columbus hospitals, will require all staff to get COVID vaccine
Piedmont Healthcare is requiring managers, physicians, providers and new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Sept. 1 “with a few rare exceptions,” spokesperson Jessica Roberts told the Ledger-Enquirer Wednesday.
The rest of the health system’s employees must also be fully vaccinated “in the near future,” Roberts said in an email. Research conducted by Piedmont showed vaccinations were a “leading factor” in team members and patients feeling safe. Piedmont’s COVID-19 vaccination policy was first reported by Becker’s Hospital Review.
“This is in keeping with our policy of requiring proof of vaccination or titers confirming immunity to Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Varicella for new employees and in requiring the annual flu vaccine for all current employees,” a portion of Piedmont’s statement reads. “The rest of our Piedmont family will be required to be fully vaccinated in the near future.”
Piedmont Healthcare is a not-for-profit healthcare system that includes 11 hospitals and 555 clinic physician practice locations, among other centers. Two of the system’s hospitals are located in Columbus — Piedmont Columbus Regional and Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside.
Piedmont employs just over 3,000 people in the Columbus area. The healthcare system isn’t sharing statistics related to the number of currently vaccinated employees.
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 11:59 AM.