Pembroke Regional Hospital makes full COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for visitors, caregivers
A new mandatory vaccination policy at the Pembroke Regional Hospital is coming into effect Oct. 15, requiring nearly all visitors and caregivers to be fully vaccinated.
"I think the decision point was that we are looking after the most vulnerable people in our organization," says Sabine Mersmann, Senior Vice-President, Clinical & Support Services at the Pembroke Regional Hospital.
Mersmann adds that the decision was made as a whole by all the hospitals who are part of the Champlain Integrated Health Network.
"We have a mandatory vaccination requirement for staff, physicians, and any contractors," Mersmann tells CTV News Ottawa. "We felt it was only right to ensure that our visitors followed on the same road."
For families like the Mackie's who are expecting a new family member soon, it is a policy they can get behind - but one that might not come soon enough.
"It makes me feel more safe," says Jen Mackie. "We're about to deliver in about a week, so it makes me feel a lot safer knowing that anyone around should be vaccinated."
"Everybody has had the opportunity, so unless you have a medical exemption, why," adds her partner Josh. "Why can't you get vaccinated?"
There is a list of eight groups of people who are exempted from the new policy:
- Individuals under the age of 12
- Those who have a documented medical exemption
- Those visiting patients at the end-of-life
- Labour and Delivery (Essential caregiver can be unvaccinated. All visitors must be vaccinated.)
- Parents of children under 16 who are receiving care
- Emergency Department (one support person per patient.)
- Individuals who are essential to accompany patients to appointments or participate in care planning discussions
- Other critical or urgent circumstances requiring family presence
When asked about the long list of exemptions, Mersmann said the hospital was trying to be more considerate following the constant strain of the pandemic.
"What we wanted to consider is people who are in an emergency situation," explained Mersmann. "We don't want to put an extra pressure on those people to say, 'Oh my goodness, now I can't go in with my child who is really sick.'"
And while there are some who are pleased with the new incoming vaccination policy, there are others who are not, and feeling targeted.
"For me, that I have to go get double vaccinated to be able to access something that is public, it's our right," says Ken Bertrand, who was attending the hospital for a check-up, and adds that he is not yet vaccinated.
"I really have a hard time with it. Because I'm not a bad person right, but I'm singled out if I'm not double vaccinated."
Currently the hospital is allowing one essential caregiver and one visitor per patient, but Mersmann is hoping for more.
"The full-vaccination effort really will lead to an ability for us also to open the policy even more."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.