Intermountain Healthcare announced new protocols and will be requiring all of its caregivers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Intermountain cares for hundreds of thousands of patients throughout the intermountain west with locations in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada.
“They’ve worked together, they’ve teamed up,” Mark Briesacher, Chief Physician Executive and Senior Vice President of Intermountain, said.
The Biden Administration issued the Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 action plan on September 9th. This plan requires all federal agencies to implement COVID-19 vaccination requirements in three areas: companies that contract with the federal government, employers with more than 100 employees and healthcare facilities that participate in Medicaid or Medicare.
“We need to comply with these rules because this is about caring for people,” Briesacher said.
All Intermountain workers working in Intermountain facilities must receive at least one dose of the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Jan. 5, 2022, and have their second dose by Feb. 9, 2022. Intermountain currently requires caregivers to be vaccinated for other communicable diseases including influenza, hepatitis, measles and mumps.
“What this means for people overall, is that we’re gonna continue to have a safer place to work,” Briesacher said.
As with other required vaccines, Intermountain caregivers can apply for an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for a medical condition or religious belief. More than 75% of caregivers are fully vaccinated and almost 85% have started the vaccination process.
Intermountain Healthcare directors and executives hope this new requirement will allow caregivers to continue to help their patients in a more healthy work environment.
