Timmins' hospital is implementing a strict COVID-19 vaccination policy for staff.
Last month, Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore issued a directive mandating hospitals and home and community care service providers to have a vaccination policy.
Timmins and District Hospital's policy requires all staff, physicians, contractors, students and volunteers working on-site to be fully vaccinated or provide a medical reason for not being vaccinated. People who are not fully vaccinated and don't have a medical exemption by Oct. 29 "will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence," according to a statement from the hospital.
“These decisions are not made lightly and are made with the safety and well-being of our staff, physicians and patients in mind,” explained Kate Fyfe, TADH president and CEO, in the statement.
“As a healthcare organization, we have a professional responsibility to safeguard and protect the health and wellness of our patients, our staff and physicians and our community. As a hospital, it is our responsibility to implement every safety measure possible to protect our patients and those who provide their care. The choice to implement a vaccine mandate at TADH is not an easy one, but as a healthcare organization we feel it is the right thing to do.”
In August, an initial policy requiring proof of full vaccination or medical contraindication was implemented for all new hires.
“Vaccines are an extremely important tool in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the highly transmissible delta variant – a variant we have witnessed the impact of first hand in Timmins,” said Dr. Doug Arnold, Chief of Staff and Vice-President Medicine.
“Like many hospitals and long-term care facilities across the province, we know that immunization against COVID-19 adds an important and powerful layer of protection for our patients, staff and physicians.”
A COVID-19 vaccine passport is being rolled out in Ontario. Sept. 22, people will need to provide proof of being fully vaccinated — both doses, plus 14 days — to access certain high-risk public spaces such as indoor dining at restaurants, gyms and sporting events.
