Health

Schneider Hospital CEO Admits Vaccine Mandate Policy Must Be Updated; Covid-Related Death of Hospital Employee Announced; Hospital to Launch Drive-Through Testing

ST. THOMAS — Schneider Regional Medical Center Interim CEO, Dr. Luis Amaro, said during a St. Thomas-St. John Hospital Governing Board meeting Wednesday that the Covid-19 vaccine mandate policy needs to be corrected and updated. Earlier in the day, hospital staff and community members protested in front of the medical facility calling for the mandate to be abandoned. The policy mandates Covid-19 vaccination for hospital employees. The mandate was discussed with staff and others during a town hall meeting on August 6 and a followup town hall Tuesday. “There was a lot of deliberation, there were those against, those for, those who understood and those who didn’t,” Dr. Amaro said. A slide presentation he shared during Wednesday's board meeting stated, “The senior leaders support the mandate and continue to work on managing challenges, logistics and staffing concerns regarding to the mandate." Dr. Amaro said he believes what led to the swift backlash was "the mandate, situations regarding...