About 8,000 Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System employees have requested black ID badge reels to indicate they are fully vaccinated, the health system told Becker's Aug. 11.
The nine-hospital health system, which has more than 12,000 employees, started offering the black reels in July. Many Marshfield employees are already required to wear white reels. However, the new black reels are voluntary. Employees who have them may meet in person, but must be masked, if all meeting attendees are vaccinated, the health system said.
"We all look forward to having the opportunity to interact with co-workers outside of the virtual world," said health system spokesperson Jeff Starck. "The badge reels are a way for more personal interaction and create a sense of normalcy for many employees during what has been a challenging, mostly virtual work environment. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive."
Mr. Starck said that some employees may not have asked for the new reels because they use clips or other devices to display their name badges. Employees who work off-site and don't attend in-person meetings may not have requested them since they haven't needed them, and some employees who are vaccinated simply may not want to identify themselves, he speculated.
Marshfield Clinic announced Aug. 4 that it would require employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 15.
As of Aug. 11, about 72 percent of employees are vaccinated, although the health system said that number will rise as it receives proof of vaccination from employees who were inoculated outside the health system.