New Liskeard, Ont.: On September 7, 2021, Temiskaming Hospital released its COVID-19 vaccination policy which outlines expectations for its employees in accordance with Directive #6 issued by the province’s chief medical officer. As of September 15, 2021, all staff must provide proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated staff will be required to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.
The policy applies to all hospital employees, staff, students, undergraduate and post-graduate medical trainees, professional staff (including medical staff, dental staff, midwifery staff and extended class nursing staff,) volunteers, contractors and any businesses or entities operating on the hospital site with the exception of those with a documented medical or human rights exemption. In addition to weekly testing, further education on the COVID-19 vaccine will be required by all who are not vaccinated.
“The COVID-19 policy we developed works hand-in-hand with the measures that have been implemented since 2020 such as our universal masking policy and thorough staff and patient screening to help stop the spread of COVID-19, not only in the hospital, but in the community as well,” said Temiskaming Hospital President & CEO Mike Baker. He continued, “We are extremely proud of the high number of vaccinated staff we currently have and expect the numbers to continue to grow in the coming weeks. Temiskaming Hospital is committed to improving the health system and creating a healthier community while championing a culture of quality and safety and supporting the health and well-being of our patients, workers and volunteers. This is critically important as our hospital is exceeding patient capacity limits and has a high Alternate Level of Care population, a population that’s very vulnerable.”
As of last week, 91 per cent of the staff at Temiskaming Hospital is fully vaccinated.
“We recognize that vaccination against COVID-19 is the most effective measure to reduce the risk of severe illness and transmission to others, including patients, visitors and staff,” said Baker. “The prevalence of the Delta variant of concern has increased transmissibility and disease severity more than previous strains. Now that we are in the fourth wave, we could see daily counts of positive cases reach numbers we’ve never seen before, so we want to ensure we are taking all necessary precautions and following the directives put in place by the ministry. I want to thank everyone for their ongoing contributions to make Temiskaming Hospital the safest possible, not only for valued staff and their families, but for our patients and visitors.”
For upcoming vaccination clinics, please visit the Timiskaming Health Unit’s website at www.timiskaminghu.com.
Temiskaming Hospital’s mission is to provide quality, patient-centered health care and education close to home. For more information about Temiskaming Hospital, please visit www.temiskaming-hospital.com.
-30-