Moderna vaccine arrives at Aspirus Wausau. Image courtesy: Aspirus Health
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Aspirus Health says they plan on complying with the federal mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
President and CEO Matthew Heywood says not only does Aspirus need to comply with the OSHA standards, but they have a rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to worry about as well.
“The CMS Rule says that all of [our] employees have to be vaccinated,” said Heywood in a news release. “If health systems and workers don’t comply, then the federal government will withhold those funds.”
He adds that the requirement goes for any entity that receives funding from either Medicare or Medicaid. That requirement, like the OSHA mandate, calls for all employees to be vaccinated by January 4th and includes very few exceptions.
According to OSHA all employees have until early December to begin their vaccine series if they haven’t already.
Heywood adds that the requirement is especially important in a healthcare setting. “It ensures that all healthcare workers are safe while they are providing care for people that may have COVID and to ensure that they are making the environment safe for their patients who need them to be as prepared and protected as they possibly can be.”
The release adds that Aspirus Health has had a robust COVID-19 vaccination, education, and testing program in place for several months and has encouraged vaccination for its employees and community members since the vaccines became available. COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses are widely available to Aspirus employees and community members.
Aspirus is still offering first, second, or booster (third) doses of COVID-19 vaccine to patients as well. Those can be scheduled by contacting your primary care provider.
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