Thirty-nine of about 5,000 workers at Truman Medical Centers/University Health in Kansas City, Mo., resigned instead of meeting the health system's COVID-19 vaccine requirement, according to news station KMBC and The Kansas City Star.
In July, Truman announced that vaccination would be a requirement for staff members and gave Sept. 20 as the deadline. It was the first health system in the Kansas City area to mandate the vaccine.
"We thought this was important. Not only to send the right message as an academic medical center that we believe in the science but also to assure our patients that they'd be safe when they came to Truman Medical Centers," Truman President and CEO Charlie Shields told KMBC.
Mr. Shields said a small number of workers requested medical or religious exemptions, and 70 percent of health system workers received the vaccine before the requirement.
He also addressed his organization's role as a leader with vaccine requirements in the area and told KMBC the health system wants to ensure patients feel safe when they come for care.
"Our public partners think that ultimately vaccination is the key to how we move out of the pandemic, and I think they are appreciative that we took a leadership role in this," he told the news station.
Saint Luke's, the University of Kansas Health System and Children's Mercy, all in the Kansas City area, have vaccine deadlines in October and December, according to The Kansas City Star.