BCH Announces Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations

Boulder Community Health (BCH) announced today (Aug. 11, 2021) that it is taking additional action to safeguard its patients, employees and physicians against COVID-19 infection by mandating that all employees and physicians be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by November 1, 2021.

“We take our obligation to protect the health of our patients, visitors, employees and the communities we serve very seriously,” said Robert Vissers, MD, president and CEO of BCH. “I’m proud and grateful that the great majority of our employees and physicians have already demonstrated their belief in the COVID-19 vaccine by getting fully vaccinated.”

BCH joins a growing number of health care organizations across the state and country that are requiring employees and physicians to get vaccinated. The Colorado Hospital Association released a statement today calling for all health care employees to become vaccinated and expressing support for health care organizations that independently adopt policies requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees and staff. According to that statement, “Science has shown that the vaccines are safe and effective at substantially reducing the risks of becoming infected, spreading the virus to others, and becoming severely ill or dying from the disease.”

BCH is implementing its new policy as the highly infectious Delta variant spurs increases in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across the country. Data from vaccination rollouts around the world demonstrate that the vaccines are safe and highly effective against preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death resulting from COVID-19 infection, including the new variants that are emerging.

“People can do a lot to safeguard themselves, their loved ones and the overall community through consistent masking, keeping a healthy distance when you’re around other people, and avoiding indoor spaces that don’t have plenty of fresh air from the outdoors. However, those measures just aren’t enough against highly infectious variants such as Delta,” said Susan Hagen, MD, BCH’s medical staff president. “The only way we’re going to defeat this virus is for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

BCH’s new policy states that all employees, members of its medical staff, volunteers, trainees and students will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Business partners, independent contractors and vendors who come into or work at BCH facilities also must get vaccinated.

To be compliant, individuals must be fully vaccinated by completing a single dose of the J&J vaccine or both doses of the two-dose vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna.

Employees, physicians and other impacted individuals can apply for a medical or religious exemption. Those who receive an approved exemption will be required to wear a mask at all times in BCH facilities, a face shield in patient care areas, and be tested weekly for COVID-19. Individuals who are out of compliance and have not received an exemption by November 1 will face disciplinary action.

The BCH Vaccine Clinic is open Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The clinic is located on the second floor of the Della Cava Medical Pavilion, 4801 Riverbend Road in Boulder. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 303-415-7777 or using the MyBCH patient portal.