Community Health Network employees required to get vaccinated against COVID-19

FILE – In this Dec. 29, 2020, file photo, Pat Moore, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, fills a syringe with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before administering it to emergency medical workers and health care personnel at the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

by: CBS4 Web

Posted: Jun 10, 2021 / 12:00 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 10, 2021 / 12:03 PM EDT

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INDIANAPOLIS – Community Health Network will require its employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The health care provider said all employees must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 15. The policy also includes all vendors, contractors, and volunteers who work at Community’s hospitals and sites of care.

So far, more than 60% of Community’s 16,000 employees have voluntarily received the vaccine.

“Since the pandemic started, our caregivers have proven time and again to be heroes in the face of daunting and sometimes frightening challenges,” said Community president and CEO Bryan Mills. “Getting vaccinated is one more step in the collective fight against COVID-19.”

The vaccine has been available in Indiana since December 2020.

“The evidence is clearer every day that those who are vaccinated very rarely pass the virus to others,” said Dr. Ram Yeleti, Chief Physician Executive for Community Health Network. “We have an obligation to the patients who put their health in our hands to create the safest environment possible.”

Community already requires its personnel to get the flu vaccine as a condition of employment. There will be exemptions allowed for medical or religious reasons, the company said.