Doylestown Health Mandates Vaccines For Employees

Doylestown PA

24 August, 2021

4:12 PM

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DOYLESTOWN, PA — Doylestown Health is requiring all of its employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 4. Doylestown Health, which operates Doylestown Hospital, said its priority is the "health and safety of our patients, associates and community" and will require its staff to get vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious exemption. Requiring workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is "consistent with our overall vaccination policy for other diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and flu," Doylestown Health officials said. "Based on current scientific research, the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID; for the few that may contract COVID after vaccination, they are far less likely to become severely ill and/or require hospitalization," officials said in a statement. About 200 people protested Saturday outside Doylestown Hospital against the health system's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers, the Bucks County Courier Times reports. Most other Bucks County hospitals are also requiring their employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, though Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township has not yet issued a similar mandate, the report states. Trinity Health, which operates St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, is requiring all of its employees to be vaccinated by Sept. 21, while St. Luke's employees have until Sept. 25 to be fully vaccinated. Employees of Jefferson Health, which operates Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Langhorne, must be vaccinated by Oct. 29, according to the network's new policy. It is unclear if Grand View Hospital employees will be required to get vaccinated. Representatives for Grand View Health did not immediately respond Tuesday to Patch's request for comment.