BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo will require that all staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The mandate comes as the prevalence of the delta variant increases and will be implemented in two phases.
Up until this point, the vaccine has been strongly encouraged for employees and over 80% of employees have been vaccinated.
The first phase will be adopted immediately and will require unvaccinated employees to be tested twice a week.
The second phase will take place after the Federal Drug Administration gives full approval to a COVID-19 vaccine. At that point, all employees will be required to get the vaccine unless they obtain an approved medical or religious exemption.
Hospice's goal with the two-phased implementation is to allow unvaccinated people to seek more information and talk to their doctor.
"Keeping staff, patients, and their families safe and healthy is the top priority and obligation for the organization. As a trusted healthcare providers, we must do even more to protect our extremely vulnerable patients as well as our colleagues. The mandatory vaccination is consistent with this obligation," said Dr. Christopher Kerr, CEO, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo.
Hospice's decision is based on two ethical principles. The first was to promote the action that is best believed to be in the best interest of the patient. The second was that a medical practitioner has the duty to do no harm to a patient or cause harm through neglect, according to Kerr.
"I believe our organization has a moral obligation to 1) to ensure safety, and COVID-19 vaccination can reduce viral transmission thereby promoting health and safety (beneficence) and 2) to provide care for patients and do no harm; vaccination would reduce harm by limiting the spread of COVID-19 infection (non-maleficence)," Kerr said.
Hospice leadership and community health leaders worked together to come to the unanimous decision to mandate vaccines. Hospice encourages other healthcare organizations to do the same.
