Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Medical Society (VMS), which represents 2,400 physicians and physician assistants across Vermont, has signed onto a joint statement urging that employers mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all workers in health care and long-term care settings.
The joint statement was issued early last week in response to the recent resurgence of COVID-19, driven by the delta variant, and has received support from over 100 health care organizations and societies. After unanimous approval from the VMS Council, the VMS joins health care organizations from across the nation in becoming a signatory, including: the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA).
With hospitalizations and deaths once again rising throughout the United States due to COVID-19, vaccination is a proven, effective path to put the pandemic behind us and to avoid a return to stringent public health measures. However, many health care and long-term care workers remain unvaccinated. By requiring all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, they will better protect themselves and their colleagues from the virus, along with those who are vulnerable, like children and the immunocompromised, their families, and the patients they care for.
VMS Past-President, Trey Dobson, M.D. who is the current Chief Medical Officer at the Southwestern Medical Center in Bennington, Vermont, underscored this sentiment and said, “Working in healthcare is an incredibly difficult and yet rewarding experience. It is also a privilege, not a right. And with that privilege comes certain inherent responsibilities to do what is necessary and appropriate to protect the vulnerable population we serve.”
Vermont has illustrated the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, as the high rate of vaccination among our eligible residents has largely protected our population from the severe impacts of the recent surge of the delta variant in other areas of the country. But, as our case counts begin to increase, the VMS believes the health and well-being of Vermont patients should be prioritized and protected when seeking health care services.
VMS President Simha Ravven, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the Howard Center said, “We are extremely fortunate to have access to these incredibly effective vaccines. In Vermont we are seeing the weekly data correlating our high vaccination rates with low rates of hospitalization and death, even in the face of increasing cases. We cannot let our State go backwards in our fight against the new delta strain and vaccinating all health care workers will continue to save lives in Vermont."
About the Vermont Medical Society: The Vermont Medical Society is the leading voice of physicians in the state and is dedicated to protecting the health of all Vermonters and to improving the environment in which Vermont physicians and physician assistants practice medicine. The Society serves its 2,400 members through public policy advocacy on the state and federal levels, as well as by providing legal, administrative and educational support, producing a rich flow of news and information and offering member benefits that increase medical practice effectiveness and efficiency. For more information, visit www.VTMD.org.