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Community Health Network requires COVID-19 vaccine for employees

For release on June 10, 2021

Patient safety, vaccine effectiveness behind decision to require vaccine

As part of its mission to enhance health and well-being, Community Health Network is requiring its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Since the pandemic started, our caregivers have proven time and again to be heroes in the face of daunting and sometimes frightening challenges,” said Community president and CEO Bryan Mills. “Getting vaccinated is one more step in the collective fight against COVID-19."

Following state and federal guidelines, Community employees had the opportunity to get vaccinated beginning in December 2020. Since then, a campaign to educate caregivers and answer questions about the vaccine and its effectiveness has been underway. About 60 percent of the health system’s 16,000 employees have voluntarily received the vaccine.

“The evidence is clearer every day that those who are vaccinated very rarely pass the virus to others,” said Dr. Ram Yeleti, Chief Physician Executive for Community Health Network. “We have an obligation to the patients who put their health in our hands to create the safest environment possible.”

Community requires the flu vaccine as a condition of employment. As with the flu vaccine, exemptions for the COVID vaccine will be made for religious or medical reasons.

All vendors, contractors, and volunteers who work at Community’s hospitals and sites of care are included in the vaccine requirement. Patients and visitors will continue to wear masks while on site.

All employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by September 15, 2021.

About Community Health Network
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Community Health Network has been deeply committed to the communities it serves since opening its first hospital, Community Hospital East, in 1956. Community Health Network puts patients first while offering a full continuum of healthcare services, world-class innovations and a new focus on population health management. Exceptional care, simply delivered, is what sets Community Health Network apart and what makes it a leading not-for-profit healthcare destination in central Indiana. For more information about Community Health Network, please visit eCommunity.com.

Kris Kirschner, Director Corporate Communications, Community Health Network
Kris Kirschner
Director, Corporate Communications