Hospital will be fully compliant with state mandate
ASTORIA, Ore. — Columbia Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce that it will be fully compliant with the Oregon Health Authority’s vaccination mandate. The Oregon Health Authority requires all healthcare workers and K-12 school employees and volunteers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, unless they have an approved medical or religious exception.
Of CMH’s 725 employees, 94% will be fully vaccinated by the Oregon Health Authority’s Oct. 18 deadline. The remaining 6% included individuals who were granted medical or religious exceptions.
CMH had only 11 employees who either chose not to be fully vaccinated or whose exemption could not be approved. Their employment with CMH will end on Oct. 18. If any of these employees decide to receive the vaccine in the future, they will be eligible for rehire.
“CMH will operate all services as usual on Oct. 19, and the vaccine mandate will not impose any significant hardship on our ability to care for the community,” says CMH CEO Erik Thorsen.
Before the vaccine mandate, about 75% of CMH caregivers were fully vaccinated.
“We are pleased so many of our employees chose to receive the vaccine and protect themselves and others from COVID-19,” Thorsen says.