🔒Why I mandated the vaccine for my staff

Throughout the course of this pandemic, healthcare workers and healthcare organizations have been in the direct line of fire for whatever incoming salvos COVID-19 blew our way. Now with U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval on vaccines proven effective in limiting the severity of the virus, we owe it to ourselves, our loved ones and our communities to get vaccinated. We also owe it to our healthcare workers. As a hospital system, we must model the behavior we want to encourage and be the change we want to see in the community. Right now, the most pressing issue we are facing is this lingering pandemic, putting a strain on our hospitals and challenging our ability to care for patients. 

This is why I mandated all UMass Memorial Health employees get the vaccine, or face possible termination.

The vaccine works. Latest studies show unvaccinated people are up to 10 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated. The risk of being admitted to the hospital is dozens of times higher if one is unvaccinated and the risk of death is likewise far greater. While the various available vaccines are not perfect – as we are seeing with break-through cases – they are the best defense against the virus and our only hope to transition the pandemic from a global crisis to a more manageable viral infection, such as the influenza virus.

Evolving pandemic. One of the arguments I’ve heard against our mandate is we have other protocols to protect patients and caregivers from COVID-19, such as wearing masks, using proper hand hygiene, etc. Fair point. But this isn’t the same virus we were battling last year. It’s almost as if we are in a brand-new pandemic with a stronger, more contagious, and more dangerous Delta variant. The infection prevention measures we’ve put in place are less effective now without fortifying protection with a vaccine.

As healthcare workers – and that means all of us, even those who don’t have direct patient contact – we have an ethical responsibility to care for the people we serve and each other. We have a higher moral obligation than if we worked for a corporation or a retail store. Thousands of patients entrust their care to us, and we must do everything we can to Do No Harm, which includes doing what we can to protect them – and our 15,000 caregivers – from the deadliest public health crisis in our lifetime.

Get the facts. The science tells us the only way for this pandemic to come to an end is to get more people vaccinated. For those who are unvaccinated, I recognize this may be a difficult decision. I’ve received some heart-breaking messages from our own unvaccinated employees who are downright scared. Sadly, a lot of misinformation out there has led to distrust of the vaccine.

I encourage anyone who has questions or doubts about the vaccine to talk with their trusted healthcare professional, their family, and loved ones so they can make an informed decision about this vitally important issue.

Eric Dickson, MD is president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, in Worcester.