SSM Health is joining numerous health systems across the country in making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for all employees. The system includes St. Mary’s and Good Samaritan Hospitals as well as the Family Health Centers around South Central Illinois.
SSM team members can request an exemption for medical or religious reasons, which is consistent with the health ministry’s practice for other required vaccines.
The decision comes as a new, highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spurs another wave of infections across the U.S. In addition to the mandatory requirement for staff, SSM Health is once again urging all eligible individuals to be vaccinated as quickly as possible.
SSM Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Todd Shuman says the vaccines has proven safe and effective at providing long-lasting immunity to COVID-19. However, the country has not yet reached a level of vaccination that provides herd immunity, which is why there are continuing dangerous surges in many communities.
SSM Health will require all of its nearly 40,000 employees, providers, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated by the end of September, ahead of the cold/influenza season.
