Baptist Health Corbin employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 31

Baptist Health Corbin employees now have a deadline for when they will be required to have a COVID-19 vaccine.

In a press release, the hospital stated employees will be required to by vaccinated by Oct. 31.

Baptist Health  joins other hospitals and health systems in Kentucky and more than 80 across the nation that now require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees.

Staff members and providers who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons (as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or religious reasons may apply for an exemption by Aug. 30. Those with an approved exemption will be subject to periodic testing for COVID-19.

“Baptist Health staff members and providers were among the first to receive these life-saving vaccines as role models for others in our communities,” said Gerard Colman, Baptist Health CEO. “We know the vaccines are one of the best ways to combat this virus.

“We must continue to lead by example by requiring that all Baptist Health employees are fully vaccinated. It is the ethical and responsible thing to do to live our mission of improving the healthcare of the communities that we serve,” said Colman.

Baptist Health hospitals have seen confirmed COVID inpatient cases rise steadily in the last month – with 83 percent of those patients unvaccinated across all nine hospitals – in some cases reaching near-peak levels from the pandemic’s height.

“The rate of positive COVID-19 cases in our area is increasing every day,” said Anthony Powers, Baptist Health Corbin President. “COVID-19 and the delta variant are very serious illnesses, and their effects are being felt by staff hospital-wide. As hospitalizations have continued to rise, our staff are working tirelessly to provide superior care to our patients in this community. Our doctors, nurses and clinical staff go above and beyond to meet the needs of our patients every day. I am so proud of their unrelenting efforts in fighting this virus by not only the quality care that they provide, but also by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for their own health and for the benefit of others as well.”

Because the two-shot vaccines must be spaced 21 to 28 days apart depending on the vaccine – and it takes an additional 14 days after the second dose to be fully effective – employees must get their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine by Sept. 15, according to the release.

Employees may also opt to take the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The vaccination requirement also extends to all contractors, independent licensed healthcare providers, students, vendors and any other person performing onsite services at any Baptist Health facility, according to the release. Employees with a start date of Sept. 13 or later will be required to have their first dose of the vaccine within one week of hire.