Vaccination mandate has minimal impact on local hospitals

OLYMPIA—Monday, October 18, was the deadline for workers in specific sectors, including private and public healthcare, state employees, and education, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs.

As the deadline neared, concerns about the mandate’s impact on healthcare staffing and services have raised throughout the state. A spokesperson for Providence St. Mary Medical Center and the Providence Medical Group in Walla Walla said their hospital has a high compliance rate that would not significantly impact its operations.

“As of this morning, Providence in Walla Walla including Providence St. Mary Medical Center and Providence Medical Group has a compliance rate of 98 percent with the COVID-19 state vaccination mandate,” said Kathleen Obenland, Director of Communications, on Tuesday. “This means that our caregivers (staff) have either been vaccinated or received a medical or religious exemption. We are grateful that the vast majority of our caregivers have received their vaccinations, an essential step toward keeping our patients and caregivers safe. The remaining caregivers who did not submit proof of vaccination or submit an exemption request were placed on leave, and we are working with each individual to help them come into compliance.”

The Providence St. Mary Medical Center’s cardiac rehabilitation program has been paused for an estimated four to six weeks while new staff members are trained.

The Columbia County Health System will feel the impact a bit more than its neighbor across the county line. Shane McGuire, CCHS CEO, reported that the health system lost 12 staff members due to the vaccination mandate. Those 12 individuals represent 5% of the staff population, and while CCHS officials knew ahead of time that they would be losing those members, their absence will be felt on many levels.

“I always want to qualify that anytime we lose people, it does impact the organization both operationally as well as emotionally. These are our co-workers and have been valuable members to our team, with many having served here for years,” McGuire said. “These 12 members represent 5% of our workforce, and while we will not have to necessarily ration care, their loss is felt and there is always a cost to losing institutional knowledge that can never be replaced instantly.”

Columbia County Health System continues to provide necessary care for all patients, and McGuire said that all shifts had been covered, but the loss of those employees will be felt for a long time.