This story was updated on July 1 to include comment from ThedaCare.
SSM Health will require its employees, providers and volunteers to get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of September.
Dr. Matt Hanley, SSM Health Wisconsin interim regional president, said they’ve been strongly encouraging employees to get inoculated.
They originally planned on not making the vaccine a requirement until after it received full Food and Drug Administration approval.
But he said that changed due to the onset of the highly contagious delta variant of the disease and a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in communities served by the system outside of Wisconsin.
“We made a collective decision at SSM to make sure that we kept our patients safe, our team members safe and, frankly, our communities safe,” he said. “As a healthcare provider, it’s our duty and obligation to put the patient first.”
Hanley said the vaccine is effective against the current variants and at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death. While Wisconsin has done a good job with vaccination, the state isn’t at herd immunity, he said.
They’re timing the requirement so that employees are vaccinated by the flu and cold season, he said. Supervisors and other system leaders will have to receive their first shot by July 31, and other employees will have to get their first dose by Sept. 1.
As of Monday, 77 percent of SSM Health employees in Wisconsin have been vaccinated against COVID-19, per the health system.
Hanley said that to their knowledge, they’re the first health system to require the vaccine in Wisconsin.
Other health systems aren’t requiring vaccination at this time, given uptake of the vaccine by staff. Gundersen Health System already has 81 percent of its employees vaccinated, noted spokesman Chris Stauffer.
“We take every opportunity to encourage all of our providers and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which 90 percent of them have done,” UW Health spokeswoman Emily Kumlien said in a statement. “We continually assess how to further protect our patients and staff with updated policies and procedures based on the best available evidence.”
“While the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for our team members yet, we are strongly encouraging them to get vaccinated and making it easier than ever for them to do so,” Advocate Aurora Health spokesman Adam Mesirow said. “We know the vaccines are safe and effective and are our ticket out of the pandemic.”
Bellin Health Chief Operating Officer Sharla Baenen said they haven’t made a decision yet on whether COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory in the future.
Baenen said they’ve “highly encouraged” vaccination, which she said is one of the tools to control spread of COVID-19 alongside personal protective equipment.
Their decision to put in place a requirement will depend on community spread of the virus and what’s happening in their workforce, including how many are out due to quarantine, she said. They’re also paying close attention to the variants.
“We’re well over 70 percent of our workforce being vaccinated and we continue to see that increase, so that’s why we’re fairly comfortable where we’re at right now,” she said.
Mayo Clinic Health System encourages staff to get vaccinated and take other preventative measures like masking and social distancing to keep patients and visitors safe. Eighty-one percent of its staff have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 79.6 percent have completed the two-dose series.
“Our voluntary vaccination rates continue to climb, and we will adjust the program requirements as needed over time,” the system said in a statement.
UnityPoint Health-Meriter spokeswoman Leah Huibregtse said they’re not requiring the vaccine at this time. They’re encouraging the shot and have made it readily available, and the majority of staff have opted to get immunized, she said.
Children’s Wisconsin spokesman Andy Brodzeller said they haven’t added the vaccination to their required immunizations at this time.
“Almost all of our doctors have been vaccinated for COVID-19,” he said. “We are thankful for their example as we continue to engage with team members who have not been vaccinated.”
Dr. Mark Cockley, ThedaCare chief clinical officer, said they too encourage team and community members to get the shot.
“At this time, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for our team members,” he said in a statement. “Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to monitor and evaluate COVID disease and vaccination trends and have made science-based adjustments for the safety of team members and patients. We will approach any changes to vaccination requirements with our team members in the same manner in the future.”
Marshfield Clinic Health System isn’t currently requiring the COVID-19 vaccine.
“However, we do continue to look at many factors, including monitoring the further spread of the delta and other potential variants and FDA’s approval beyond emergency use authorization, to determine next steps,” spokesman John Gardner said. “Nearly 100 percent of our physicians are voluntarily vaccinated, and we continually educate all staff by sharing vaccine resources and giving the opportunity to directly ask our leaders and researchers questions through interactive educational sessions that discuss vaccine research, safety and efficacy.”
Hospital Sisters Health System and ProHealth Care are also encouraging, but not requiring, shots.
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