Almost All MetroHealth Employees in Compliance with COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
The MetroHealth System is proud to announce that 99.94% of its 7,700-member workforce is in compliance with its COVID-19 vaccination policy.
In late August, MetroHealth announced it would require its employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations or request an exemption by October 30, 2021.
As of Monday, only five employees have not shared their vaccination status.
Those individuals who have not shared their vaccination status have been suspended without pay for two weeks before separation proceedings begin. If those employees choose to get vaccinated before then, or prove they already did, their status will be reevaluated.
Among 7,700 employees, approximately 7,269 (94.4%) are vaccinated.
Approximately 426 employees (5.5%) have requested exemptions. Those requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of the year.
MetroHealth remains the only hospital system in Cleveland to make the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment. MetroHealth leadership is fully confident these vaccines are safe, effective and the best protection against this dangerous virus.
“I am grateful for each and every member of our team who took this important step to protect the health of their colleagues, patients, families and the community during this once-in-a-generation pandemic,” said MetroHealth President and CEO Akram Boutros, MD. “Our employees are simply extraordinary. As an academic medical center, we embrace scientifically proven measures in everything that we do. The COVID-19 vaccination is no exception.”
In the past two months, MetroHealth has had 12 employees who resigned or retired and indicated the COVID-19 vaccination requirement was the reason.
Vaccine requirements for health care employees are nothing new. MetroHealth already requires annual flu vaccinations, as well as measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations as a condition of employment.
Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.
