Jefferson Healthcare officials have been considering requiring employees to get vaccinations for COVID-19.

“Leadership and our chief physicians are reviewing vaccination requirements for Jefferson Healthcare employees,” Amy Yaley, spokesperson for Jefferson Healthcare, said in an email Monday to The Leader. 

Jefferson Healthcare officials said providing a COVID-free environment for staff and patients is extremely important.

“Review of a vaccination mandate will be grounded by our organizational values and facilitated by a deliberate, thoughtful discussion of the implications of such a decision,” Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn said in an email. 

The Washington State Hospital Association said Monday the organization’s board of directors had adopted a resolution supporting COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care workers.  

The board urged “all hospitals in Washington state to adopt policies that require all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to follow steps determined by the hospital’s policies,” according to a statement released Monday.

“These requirements are necessary to protect workers, vulnerable patients, and the community from COVID-19. Each hospital will determine the details and timing of its policies,” the WSHA board said in the statement. 

The hospital association noted vaccinations against COVID-19 have proven effective,  and have kept people from getting ill, being hospitalized, or dying from the disease.

WSHA said more than 4.4 million people in Washington have been vaccinated — and more than 164 million across the country — with minimal side effects.

“Our state’s health systems and hospitals have seen firsthand how debilitating and deadly this disease can be,” added WSHA president and CEO Cassie Sauer. 

“When the COVID-19 vaccines were first released, WSHA and its members strongly encouraged everyone who was eligible, including hospital and health system employees, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the months since, clinical data has shown the COVID-19 vaccines to be extraordinarily safe and effective and our best tool to prevent spread of the disease,” Sauer said.  

WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in Washington.

Yaley said Jefferson Healthcare hopes the declarations of support of vaccinations made by the WSHA and the American Hospital Association will lead more people to get vaccinated.

“Providing a COVID-free environment for our staff and patients is extremely important to us,” Yaley said. “The support from WSHA is very positive. Our hope is that these declarations of support for the vaccine, such as WSHA’s and AHA’s, will encourage everyone in our community to vaccinate, most especially our team as we see the positive cases rise in the unvaccinated populations.”