Ochsner Health says it is not changing its position on requiring coronavirus vaccines for employees despite pushback, including a recent letter from a law firm.
“Throughout the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers have been on the front lines. During this time, they protected our patients and each other, but many of them still got infected with COVID-19 because of community spread; as such, many were unable to work and care for our patients suffering from the same deadly virus during our highest peak," Patrick Gandy, CEO, Ochsner Lafayette General said in a statement to the Louisiana Record.
At the end of August, Ochsner Health announced a mandatory requirement that all its physicians, providers and employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 29, according to a press release.
"We now have a vaccine that is not only safe and effective, but also has been approved by the FDA. Our health care workers protect our families and our communities, and we appreciate their many sacrifices," Gandy said in the statement.
The announcement came as the Gulf South continues to face high COVID-19 positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths, according to the press release. At that time, Ochsner was caring for 979 COVID-19 patients and more than 88%, or 865 of those patients, are unvaccinated, according to the press release.
"While we are empathetic to those who do not agree with a vaccine mandate, we will not change our stance. We stand firm that vaccines are the way we end this pandemic," Gandy said in the statement.