FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Hospital Association, Kentucky Medical Association and Kentucky Nursing Associations all released a joint statement in support of hospitals that will require staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
What You Need To Know
- Twelve Kentucky hospital systems are requiring employees to get COVID-19 vaccines
- Gov. Andy Beshear said this is to prevent overcrowding at hospitals, make sure there are no staff shortages and protect the patients
- The Kentucky Hospital Association supports hospital systems that have required COVID-19 vaccines
- Most hospitals already require vaccinations to protect against things like mumps, measles and the flu
Last week, Gov. Andy Beshear said 11 hospital systems had announced plans to require all staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Kentucky Hospital Association president Nancy Galvagni said she supports that decision because she doesn't want to see what happened during the height of the pandemic before vaccines were available.
Some hospitals dealt with overcrowding. Galvagni said in Kentucky there is no current threat of that happening, but it certainly is something to avoid if possible.
“We have not allowed our hospitals systems to be overrun,” Beshear said Thursday. “We cannot allow that to happen, and I’m going to be willing to do what it takes to prevent that from happening."
The idea of required vaccinations for employment in healthcare is not new. Most hospitals already require employees to have vaccines that protect against things like mumps, measles or the flu.
“We are just talking about adding COVID-19 to an existing policy that lists out required vaccinations. This is because hospitals treat vulnerable patients," Galvagni said. "We have very sick people in the hospital. You have to be very sick to be admitted to a hospital. We want to do whatever we can to keep our patients as safe as possible.”
Eleven Kentucky hospital systems announced plans to require a COVID-19 vaccine for staff last week, including Baptist Health.
“We do that not lightly,” Baptist Health CEO Gerard Colman said. “We do that as a serious part of our mission to really not only reduce the spread, but reduce the spell of illness for all the people we serve and our caregivers.”
The hospital systems that made the announcement last Thursday are Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Baptist Health, CHI Saint Joseph Health, King’s Daughters Health System, Med Center Health, Norton Healthcare, Pikeville Medical Center, St. Claire Healthcare, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, UK Healthcare and UofL Health.
Hosparus Health has since been added to that list, announcing employees there have to get COVID-19 vaccines by Sept. 15. Galvagni said many of the hospital systems that have not already announced plans to require COVID-19 vaccines are considering it.