The Greene County Medical Center (GCMC) in Jefferson announced today (Tuesday) that all employees will need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 to continue their employment. The policy, which includes employees, providers, contracted workers and volunteers, goes into effect on Nov. 1. Interim CEO, Brian Benson, says, “Our decision was extremely intentional and comes after several weeks of discussion and input from our leaders, other Iowa rural hospitals and information from other healthcare entities throughout the country. We deliberately sought to understand various perspectives and consider the impact to our team members. Our decision also comes as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination was fully approved by the FDA.” Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show fully vaccinated individuals are far less likely to suffer severe illness or be hospitalized compared to unvaccinated patients. Hospital administrators said in a statement released today (Tuesday) the decision was overwhelmingly supported by the leadership team, providers and their board of directors. Employees can still apply for religious and medical exemptions. Pregnant women employed at GCMC can defer their vaccinations during their pregnancy.
