Blount Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Sweetwater Hospital Association and The University of Tennessee Medical Center are planning to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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"Clinical, non-clinical and medical staff, as well as students, volunteers, contracted employees and vendors are required to have initiated the first dose of the primary COVID-19 vaccine series or received a single dose of the one-dose vaccine by December 5, 2021, unless they qualify and are approved for a religious or medical exemption to the vaccine.

The two-dose series to be fully vaccinated must be completed by January 4, 2022."

According to the hospital leaders, about 65% of patients at Covenant Health use Medicare or Medicaid; about 61% of UTMC patients use Medicare or Medicaid; and about 60% of Children’s Hospital patients use Medicaid.

“We have supported the vaccine throughout the entire pandemic, and that has not changed. We feel the same as we have,” said Dr. James Shamiyeh, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UTMC.
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At Covenant Health, about 30% of employees are not fully vaccinated; at UTMC it’s about 26%, and Children’s Hospital it’s about 20%."

It's about time. Gotta hurt them in the pocketbook instead of them taking the initiative to ensure hospital patients (and fellow employees) are safe from the pandemic.

It's tough being the leader of a hospital in Tennessee. But, they required vaccines in a very large Texas hospital system months ago.