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A major hospital group with facilities all over the state has announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees.
HCA Healthcare will require all workers to be fully vaccinated by January 4.
That's the deadline set by the OSHA requirement for companies with a hundred or more employees, but that rule is currently blocked by an appeals court's emergency stay.
HCA has 49 locations in Florida, including JFK Medical Center in Atlantis and West Palm Beach, as well as Palms West Hospital near Loxahatchee Groves and some hospitals along the Treasure Coast.
There are also a number of outpatient surgery and imaging centers, as well as urgent cares, across Florida.
The company's CEO told employees that a first dose of the vaccine is required by December 5.
Before this move, Baptist Health was the only hospital group in the Palm Beaches with a vaccine mandate. Their properties include Boca Raton Regional Hospital and both Bethesda Hospitals East and West.
Click Here to find all HCA Healthcare hospitals and facilities in the state.
Here is the full statement from HCA Healthcare, regarding their vaccine mandate:
In compliance with federal COVID-19 vaccination requirements, HCA Healthcare colleagues will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by January 4, 2022. We have plans in place based on processes, best practices and knowledge gained from our operations in states that have already mandated vaccination. Since COVID-19 vaccines became available earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as our infectious disease experts, have been strongly encouraging vaccination as a critical step to protect individuals from the virus and the majority of HCA Healthcare colleagues have already been fully vaccinated. We are working with our colleagues to assist those that have not yet received the vaccine.