ACOG joins organizations in favor of vaccine mandates for all health care workers

Additional organizations advocating for the mandatory vaccination of health care workers include the American Medical Association, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the National Medical Association, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, and more.¹ See the full list here.

“[Vaccination of frontline health care workers] is especially necessary to protect those who are vulnerable, including unvaccinated children and the immunocompromised. Indeed, this is why many [employers] already require influenza, hepatitis b, and pertussis vaccinations,” the joint statement read.¹

“We stand with the growing number of experts and institutions that support the requirement for universal vaccination of health workers. While we recognize some workers cannot be vaccinated because of identified medical reasons and should be exempted from a mandate, they constitute a small minority of all workers. Employers should consider any applicable state laws on a case-by-case basis,” it continued.¹

In a formal press release², ACOG President J. Martin Tucker, MD, FACOG stated, “We could not ignore the fact that individuals who are pregnant or are considering pregnancy are a significant part of the health care workforce, with an estimated 330,000 health care workers who are pregnant or have recently given birth. This population is an important contributor in the effort to stop the spread of this virus and, hopefully, they will now feel confident in receiving the vaccine along with their colleagues so that this pandemic can finally come to an end.”

The joint statement concludes with a call to action for all other employers nationwide. “As the health care community leads the way in requiring vaccines for our employees, we hope all other employers across the country will follow our lead and implement effective policies to encourage vaccination.The health and safety of U.S. workers, families, communities, and the nation depends on it.”¹

References

1. Emanuel EJ and Skorton DJ. Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations for Health Care Workers. Ann Intern Med. Published online July 30, 2021. https://doi.org/10.7326/M21-3150
2. ACOG Joins Statement in Support of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for All Health Care Workers. Acog.org. Published 2021. Accessed August 5, 2021. https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2021/08/acog-joins-statement-in-support-of-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-for-all-health-care-workers