Piedmont requiring COVID-19 vaccines for docs, new workers

Piedmont Newnan

In this December photo, Lisa Scimeca is administering the COVID-19 vaccine to nurse Michelle Peevy.

Piedmont Healthcare requires doctors, company executives and new employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 1, with rare exceptions.

The healthcare system, which includes hospitals and doctor’s offices in North and West Georgia, has announced the company-wide vaccine policy and stated that it is being taken to provide the safest environment for their patients and their team members.

Existing staff will also need to be vaccinated at a later date, said Nichole Dillon of Piedmont Newnan Hospital.

The Piedmont declaration states that this date will be in the near future.

The vaccination requirement corresponds to the existing requirement that new employees need proof of vaccination or immune titers against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, according to the statement.

All employees must have a flu shot.

“It’s important to remember that vaccination is a leading factor in making patients and team members feel safe in a healthcare facility, as our research shows,” the statement said. “It also matches our peers in other leading healthcare systems in the United States.”

The statement goes on to say: “We are inspired by the way our Piedmont team has been working during the pandemic and are proud to take this decision to show Piedmont’s role as a pioneer in supporting our communities in the Achieving safety and well-being to strengthen the organization, science is our fundamental goal, and in this case science has shown a clear way forward. ”

The September 1st date applies to physicians and advanced practice providers such as physician assistants and nurses employed at Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Physicians Groups. According to Dillon, this also applies to executives with managerial responsibility.

The Equal Opportunities Commission guidelines state that federal law does not prevent employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated. However, these requirements are subject to the “reasonable accommodation” of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII.

In certain circumstances, Title VII and the ADA require employers to provide reasonable accommodation for workers who are not vaccinated because of a disability or a genuine religious belief, practice, or compliance.

According to the EEOC, pregnancy is considered a disability for reasonable accommodation. Employers are not required to take reasonable precautions if those arrangements would create undue hardship on the operation of the business.

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