ODESSA, Texas — The Medical Center Health System board voted Monday to approve following the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a hospital spokesperson.
All employees who do not have medical or religious exemptions are required to receive their first dose by Dec. 5 and their second dose by Jan. 4.
The hospital spokesperson said that any other details about the mandate would come from the federal government. The requirement comes from President Biden's vaccine mandate that would require over 17 million health care workers to be vaccinated. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the main source of federal funding for hospitals, is requiring workers in most healthcare settings to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
We have contacted Midland Memorial Hospital to see if they are also planning on implementing a mandate, and have not heard back yet.
This is all the information on the situation that we have right now. We will update this story as more details become available.