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Summa Health is the first Akron hospital to require a COVID-19 vaccination for its employees.
The news comes just days after the Ohio Hospital Association recommended vaccinations for employees at all Ohio hospitals.
Summa Health President and CEO Dr. Cliff Deveny says they had been working on a requirement since Monday and felt ready to implement it now.
He says the requirement falls in line with their mission.
“We have both a moral and ethical responsibility to protect the health of our patients," Deveny said. "We have folks that are very frail, immunocompromised, and they really do have a high expectation that they're going to be in a safe environment.”
They made the decision based on the progression of the delta variant, Deveny said, as well as the flattening rate of vaccinations among employees.
About 70 percent of Summa workers are fully vaccinated.
Workers have until the end of October to get their shots.
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