Kentucky Hospital Systems Require Vaccinations for Health Care Workforce

On August 5, 2021, Governor Andy Beshear announced that executives from eleven health care systems in Kentucky pledged to require COVID-19 vaccinations for their health care workforce no later than September 15, 2021. These new policies will help health systems respond to a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant. These systems echoed a joint statement from the Kentucky Hospital Association, Kentucky Medical Association, and Kentucky Nurses Association which said that “Vaccination against COVID-19 is our best tool to prevent spread of the disease, protect our patients and ensure the health and well-being of our hospital workforce and all Kentuckians.” The following health care systems are implementing the vaccination requirement: Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), Baptist Health, CHI Saint Joseph Health, King’s Daughters Health System, Med Center Health, Norton Healthcare, Pikeville Medical Center, St. Claire Healthcare, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, UK Healthcare and UofL Health.