All Genesis Healthcare Workers Are Now Required to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine By First of the Year

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO- All Genesis healthcare workers are now required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The regulation applies to all facilities that take Medicare and Medicaid and healthcare workers have to be fully vaccinated by January 4th, 2022, but can apply for a religion and medical exemption, says Matt Perry, President and CEO of Genesis Healthcare System.

“Our goal is that we do not want to lose a single staff member at Genesis as a result of this. That’s our goal. We need every single phenomenal staff member who’s been dedicated for the last 18 months to fight this pandemic under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, we don’t want to lose a single one of our people over this. We’re just going to try to help our people through it and see which path makes the most sense for them.”

The Genesis vaccination rate is already at about 55 % , which is the same for the Zanesville community, according to Perry. 

He also spoke on the next steps for the employees who decide not to get the vaccine and don’t qualify for the exemptions. 

“By this regulation that CMS has promulgated that we have to live by, they will not be able to work until one of those three conditions are met. The Federal Government has given us no leeway on that. We have to do it.”

Other medical facilities already required employees to have the vaccine, but Perry said Genesis wanted to wait for the Federal Government to issue a mandate.

Genesis will provide multiple clinics for employees to receive the vaccine. To view the religion and medical exemptions list, employees can go to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.