Valley Children’s Hospital to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for all employees

Valley Children’s Hospital announced Monday that all employees in their facilities will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The hospital made the announcement in a statement from CEO Todd Suntrapak. Effective Sept. 21, all staff, physicians, vendors and those conducting business in Valley Children’s Hospital facilities must be vaccinated against the virus. There will be medical and religious exemptions, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The announcement came just hours after Kaiser Permanente made a similar decision..

“A large percentage of our patient population is below the current age to receive the vaccination, increasing their vulnerability in transmitting or contracting COVID-19. We have a special obligation to care for them,” Suntrapak said in his statement.

The new mandate takes effect amid the spread of the delta variant throughout the central San Joaquin Valley and across the U.S. — putting those who have not been vaccinated particularly at risk for serious cases of illness.

This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 7:17 PM.