With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the area brought about in part by the new Delta variant, Northwestern Medical Center is taking additional steps to protect our healthcare workers, our patients, and our community.

“It is abundantly clear that the single best measure we can take to decrease the spread, morbidity, and mortality of COVID-19 in our community is vaccination,” said Dr. Dean French, NMC Chief Executive Officer.

NMC has been encouraging all staff and providers to be fully vaccinated.  Going forward, NMC will require all staff, contracted staff, medical staff, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID 19, no later than September 30, 2021.  Exemptions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis through NMC’s Employee Health service.

Staff who are not fully vaccinated will be required to have a weekly COVID-19 test and successfully test negative to continue their scheduled work. Unvaccinated individuals who test positive or who failed to complete a test by the end of the week will be unable to work the following week.

“We fully understand that this is a personal decision, but in the context of our mission to provide exceptional healthcare in a safe environment of care, we must step up our efforts to become fully vaccinated,” said Dr. French.