Wichita hospital system mandates COVID vaccines for workers amid growing ICU numbers
Wichita’s largest hospital system, Ascension Via Christi, is mandating that all employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 or step away from their jobs, amid growing concern over intensive-care occupancy and spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
“Ascension will require that all associates be vaccinated against COVID-19, whether or not they provide direct patient care, and whether they work in our sites of care or remotely,” said a statement issued by Ascension, parent company of Via Christi. “This includes associates employed by subsidiaries and partners; physicians and advanced practice providers, whether employed or independent; and volunteers and vendors entering Ascension facilities.”
All workers, excluding a few with medical or religious exemptions, will have to complete the vaccination regimen by Nov. 12.
“Tens of thousands of Ascension associates have already been vaccinated with the available vaccines, as have millions of people across the country and the world,” the statement said. “But we must do more to overcome this pandemic as we provide safe environments for those we serve.”
Ascension employees are already required to be vaccinated with the annual flu shots and the timing of implementing the COVID vaccine requirement will align with that schedule, Ascension said.
Delta variant and ICU
As the more contagious Delta variant of COVID becomes a larger issue, the hospital has seen its ICU occupancy rising, hospital officials said.
“COVID-19 volumes, both in our medical-surgical and intensive care units have more than doubled in the past several weeks and hospital volumes are up overall over what we see in a typical summer,” said a statement by Kevin Strecker, hospital president and chief operating officer. “As a result, our hospitals continue to remain relatively full on a daily basis.”
There are several reasons for the influx of patients, said Kris Hill, vice president of nursing at Via Christi St. Francis hospital.
“It’s not one thing. It’s everything,” Hill said in an e-mail. “In addition to patients infected by COVID-19, summer is trauma season, so we are seeing a significant number of patients with traumatic injuries, respiratory issues related to the high humidity as well as RSV in children, and patients coming in for routine and cardiac procedures, some of which may be related to patients having delayed care because of the pandemic.”
However, the hospital is not so crowded that officials there are encouraging people to delay medical attention.
“As a community, we collectively continue to be able to care for the critically ill patients coming to our hospitals and people should continue to seek the care they need without delay,” Strecker said.
On Monday, there were 12 COVID-infected patients in the ICU, compared with six two weeks ago. And that increase comes amid a burst of admissions to the medical and surgical ICU.
The Monday number there was 53, up from 20 two weeks ago, including some patients catching up on procedures that were put off last year when COVID rates were high and vaccines unavailable.
Contributing: Amy Renee Leiker of The Eagle
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 11:46 AM.
