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Altru Health System announces a critical step to protect its staff and the community against the continued spread of COVID-19. Altru will be requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021.

“The past 18 months have been particularly challenging for our healthcare team as we’ve faced the COVID-19 pandemic,” shared Dr. Steven Weiser, Altru’s President. “As we see the increase in variants across the country and an initial rise in cases in our community, it is imperative that we maximize the safety of our staff, patients and our community by requiring vaccination of our team.”

All new and current Altru staff, physicians, volunteers and students, regardless of work locations, will be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or complete an exemption process by November 15, 2021.

Employees can request an exemption for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. Those who have an approved exemption will be required to complete education modules, undergo regular testing for COVID- 19 and follow other safety measures deemed necessary to maximize a safe environment of care. All Altru staff are required to wear face coverings and follow further safety protocols.

“Altru’s purpose is to provide the safest and most high-quality care,” shared Dr. Weiser. “As healthcare professionals, we also serve as role models in our community. We know vaccines are safe, effective, and vitally important to saving lives and eliminating COVID-19. While we move forward with a requirement for our staff to become vaccinated, we also urge our community to follow suit. As we face another potential surge in our community, it is vitally important to protect our healthcare team and ensure we provide the safest care for our patients.”

Altru isn’t alone in requiring COVID-19 vaccinations. Over one hundred health systems across the country are choosing vaccination due to rising cases of COVID-19, low vaccination rates and the pending threat of variants. People who have not been vaccinated are at higher risk of severe disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that 99.5% of hospital deaths in the U.S. are from unvaccinated individuals. Those who are unvaccinated also are at higher risk of transmitting disease to others.