A new federal Medicare vaccine policy requirement states health care workers must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4. To meet this deadline, Helen Keller Hospital is requiring their health care employees to have their first dose or provide a religious or medical exemption by Dec. 5.
"There are several hundreds of requirements Medicare has for us, and this is the newest one," said Helen Keller Hospital President Kyle Buchanan.
Buchanan said while this vaccine policy is just another requirement for health care workers, strong opinions on the shot had some people worried when the policy first came about.
"When the information first rolled out, there’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of people were concerned," Buchanan said. "But once all the information became publicly available, especially for the state of Alabama, our Legislature put a lot of structure in place so that we could have guidance in the hospital. Once that guidance was released, (there was) a lot of relief amongst our staff to say, 'OK, I know I fit in this exemption category' or 'I know I can get my first dose by Dec. 5.'"
Buchanan said those seeking a religious exemption can simply check that box when filing their claim.
"For medical, there are several (options). If you’ve had Covid-19 in the past 12 months, there’s a category for that, as well as just a general physician's note as defined by the same legislation (that) would qualify you for a medical exemption," he said.
Buchanan said about 20-30% of his staff would need to make a decision by the deadline, but he has little worry about any potential problems that could arise.
"In having conversations with them, we are very confident that they’ll do it," he said.
He does not anticipate anyone will choose to get out of health care due to this policy.
