Niagara Health has set a deadline for all of its staff and physicians to get vaccinated 'with very few exceptions,' as the board released a statement saying it had not made enough progress in getting its staff vaccinated.
“Mandating full vaccination is in the best interest of our hospital and community,” said Lynn Guerriero, President and CEO at Niagara Health in a statement.
“It is the natural next step to protect our people, patients and operations against the threat of COVID-19. The majority of our staff and physicians support mandatory vaccination, and it is our hope that every member of our team who is not yet fully vaccinated will do so at their earliest opportunity.”
The hospital system did not say how employees who chose to not get vaccinated would be handled formally, but said 'very few' exceptions would be made.
The policy will come into effect on January 27, 2022.
Currently Niagara Health has a more than 92 percent vaccination rate among its employees, but added that the progress wasn't sufficient.
"Full vaccination of our healthcare team is critical to maintain a safe environment for everyone in the hospital," said the statement.
Niagara Health will also be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for visitors unless under 'exceptional circumstances.'
This policy will be implemented at a later date, with details communicated to the public in the coming weeks.
