By the end of January 2022, staff at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The new policy goes into effect January 31 and includes physicians, learners, contract care or service providers, support workers and volunteers in the hospital and long-term care home.
Proof of vaccination is specific to those entering SLMHC to provide care and or service and does not directly impact patients or visitors.
“The update to our policy is designed to address the significant patient and resident safety risk that the COVID-19 virus in our hospital and long-term care home would place on our ability to deliver safe, high-quality and consistent care,” says Heather Lee, President and CEO of SLMHC.
To date, almost 95% of hospital staff and physicians have been fully vaccinated.
Those who are medically unable to be vaccinated will still be required to submit official paperwork and be tested prior to their start of shift every seven days.
“At this important juncture, we know that introducing the mandatory vaccination policy is a major step forward towards ending this pandemic,” says Dr. Laurel Laakso, Interim Chief of Staff. “We
will continue to follow all infection prevention and control practices, including mandatory masking and adhering to provincial directives on personal protective equipment. We’ve seen that mandatory vaccination in long-term care homes has dramatically lowered the number of outbreaks in these environments. We are joining the majority of Ontario hospitals in adopting a clear mandatory vaccination policy to protect our vulnerable patients and to take every precaution available to us to fight the pandemic and keep our hospital and long-term care unit safe.”
SLMHC reminds the public that the Ambulatory Entrance is closed at this time and COVID-19 screening remains in place at both the Main and Emergency Department entrances.
CKDR News has reached out to leadership with the SLMHC for further comment.