St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho, will require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
More than 77 percent of St. Luke's staff and providers had been fully inoculated as of July 8, according to a memo sent to employees that day from Chris Roth, St. Luke's president and CEO. This includes all 93 senior leaders at the health system. All St. Luke's board members have been vaccinated.
But Mr. Roth said more vaccinations are necessary, particularly given the emerging and more dangerous variants and that staff cases have been rising.
"In my discussions with you throughout the pandemic, and especially in the past few months, I have shared the possibility of adding the COVID-19 vaccine to our list of required immunizations, and we are indeed moving in that direction," he wrote.
St. Luke's will require all employees, providers, volunteers and contractors to receive their first vaccine dose by Sept. 1.
More details about the implementation plan for the mandate are forthcoming, Mr. Roth said, adding that workers will be able to apply for religious and medical exemptions.
St. Luke's is a nine-hospital health system with more than 15,000 employees.