Intermountain Healthcare requiring caregivers to receive C-19 vaccine

Intermountain Healthcare has announced that it will require all of its patient-facing employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As Utah’s largest healthcare organization, Intermountain said at a news conference the move is meant “to comply with federal vaccination requirements announced by Pres. Biden on Sept. 9.”

Dr. Mark Briesacher, chief physician executive at Intermountain, said it’s been 20 months since the first COVID-19 patient was admitted to Intermountain Medical Center. Since then, he said, it’s been remarkable to watch the caregivers at the system respond to the pandemic.

“I can’t thank the nurses and physicians, and all of our healthcare teams and everyone who supports them at Intermountain, enough for what they’ve done. It’s been truly remarkable,” Briesacher said.

Briesacher said that Intermountain had reviewed the rules from the Biden administration and it “became clear that we need to comply with these rules, because this is about caring for people.” He said Intermountain received guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, which told them the key point of the new rules is that within facilities that work within a federal contract, everyone who works there needs to be vaccinated.

Intermountain previously required it employees to receive vaccines for hepatitis, whooping cough, the annual flu, measles, mumps and rubella.

“What these all have in common is that these are viruses and bacteria that are easily spread through a community if that community is vulnerable and not immune to them,” Briesacher said.