NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Hospitals in Middle Tennessee are changing the policies on requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine after two different judges blocked federal vaccine mandates. One ruling applied to federal contractors in three states, including Tennessee and Kentucky. The other impacts healthcare workers nationwide.
“We are aware of the preliminary injunction regarding the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) vaccination requirement for healthcare workers nationwide. Given the injunction, our hospital has paused the requirement that unvaccinated employees initiate the COVID-19 vaccine series by December 5, 2021 and be fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022 or have a religious or medical exemption in place as mandated by CMS,” a statement read from Tennova Healthcare in Clarksville. “We continue to strongly encourage vaccination since it offers the most protection from COVID-19 and emerging new variants. The majority of our caregivers already have chosen to be vaccinated and more are choosing to be vaccinated now.”
According to leaders at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the hospital has been taking steps to institute the vaccine mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), but is now halting those efforts after a federal judge in Louisiana issued an injunction that temporarily pauses the implementation of the federal vaccine mandate.
“As a result of this injunction, CRMC is temporarily suspending all efforts of the CMS vaccine mandate until this issue is either resolved by courts or through federal legislation,” stated Ricky Shelton, CRMC chief strategy officer. “Vaccination is the single most important step that you can take to help CRMC achieve our goal of providing the safest environment for our staff and patients. We will continue to conduct the vaccine clinic here at CRMC and we continue to encourage all staff members to receive the vaccination to minimize the risk of transmission to our patients and coworkers.”
It’s a similar mindset for Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia.
“As a result of the nationwide injunction issued by Judge Terry Doughty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Maury Regional Health is suspending its efforts to comply with the CMS vaccine mandate until this issue is either resolved by the courts or through federal legislation,” a statement read from a hospital spokesperson.