Hendrick Health System released the following statement on Wednesday, December 1.

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, a federal judge in Louisiana issued a nationwide injunction on President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandate on healthcare providers, carried out via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The federal mandate affected employees in healthcare facilities that receive CMS funding.

Hendrick Health’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy was implemented in response to the CMS federal mandate. In light of the nationwide injunction, Hendrick Health is also suspending its COVID-19 vaccine policy until such time as the legality of the CMS vaccine mandate is ultimately decided by the courts. No Hendrick Health staff will be suspended or terminated at this time as a result of vaccination status.

If the federal vaccine mandate is upheld in the courts, and reinstated by CMS, Hendrick Health will again have no choice but to reactivate our policy with adjusted effective dates.

Hendrick Health continues to believe that vaccination is the best path forward out of this pandemic and encourages all employees to make the choice to get vaccinated. Employees may also choose to submit an exemption request.

We thank all of our staff for their patience and understanding as we monitor this ongoing legal situation that impacts us all.

R. David Evans, Esq.

Hendrick Health VP, General Counsel, Compliance & Patient Experience