For the Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD – Marshfield Clinic Health System will require its employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 15.

“Our Health System is about serving our Mission and living up to our values. These vaccines are the key to stopping this virus, and it’s essential we take this important step in providing the safest possible environment for our patients, families, visitors, providers and staff,” said Dr. Susan Turney, CEO.

Turney added that the decision to mandate was based on the increase in COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin and increased spread of the highly contagious delta variant surging across the nation. In the last two weeks alone, the Health System saw COVID-19 hospitalizations triple, and since the beginning of July, nearly every COVID-19 patient the Health System hospitalized was unvaccinated.

“We did not take this decision lightly. It was one we’ve been discussing for the past several weeks. But the time has come. In order to be a leader in the community and provide the care our patients deserve, we need to lead by example,” Turney said.

“Thousands of Health System employees, including nearly 100 percent of physicians, voluntarily received vaccinations. The Health System continually educates all staff by sharing vaccine resources and giving the opportunity to directly ask leaders and researchers questions through interactive educational sessions that discuss vaccine research, safety and efficacy,” a MCHS release stated.

The timing of the Health System’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate aligns with its annual required influenza vaccine process.