By Larry Persily
Wrangell Sentinel Reporter
and Daily Sitka Sentinel Staff
The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium reports 100% compliance with its policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees and contractors throughout Southeast Alaska.
“Very few have left employment due to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine,” said Maegan Bosak, SEARHC spokesperson in Sitka.
The Alaska Native-owned health care provider operates in 27 Southeast communities. It has more than 1,500 employees, contractors and travelers, Bosak said.
That includes some 655 in Sitka where it operates Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center (inpatient, outpatient, dental, optometry, pharmacy, behavioral health, etc.); Sitka long-term care facility; Mountainside urgent care and rehabilitation services; and Sitka Medical Center.
“SEARHC is committed to the health and safety of patients and staff. A policy has been implemented successfully across the consortium to vaccinate all staff against COVID-19,” Bosak said.
The health care provider implemented the vaccination policy for all its operations at the start of the summer — one of the first in the state to make the decision.
The policy allows exceptions for staff members who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a history of anaphylaxis or allergy to the vaccine, or “persons whose sincere religious observances and practices related to life, purpose or death oppose vaccines... Documentation from a religious leader will be required.”
In addition to Wrangell and Sitka, SEARHC operates in Haines, Klukwan, Skagway, Angoon, Gustavus, Juneau, Pelican, Hoonah, Kake, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Craig, Kasaan, Klawock, Hydaburg, Metlakatla and Thorne Bay.
“Vaccination has been the key element in slowing down the pandemic and offers the promise of aiding in ending the pandemic,” Bosak said in an email when the policy went into effect.
In August, the PeaceHealth hospital system, which operates the Ketchikan Medical Center and facilities in Washington and Oregon, announced that all of its caregivers will be required to get vaccinated unless they provide proof of a medical exemption.
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital announced a similar policy in August.
Of the more than 2,300 employees at the Ketchikan and Fairbanks hospitals, about 20 had left their jobs or were placed on leave as of last week for not following the vaccination policy, according to news reports.
Both the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., which serves 58 rural communities with about 1,400 employees, and the Norton Sound Health Corp., based in Nome with about 500 employees serving 15 communities, also adopted mandatory vaccination policies this summer.
Providence Alaska, which operates the largest hospital in Anchorage and several clinics elsewhere in the state, joined the list in August, announcing that it will require staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or accept additional safety measures.
The two largest tribal health organizations in the state, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Southcentral Foundation, also require staff to be vaccinated or risk losing their jobs. The two Anchorage-based providers together employ more than 5,000 people.
Last week, Providence and the Alaska Native Medical Center reported more than 98% compliance with their vaccine requirements. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium operates the Native Medical Center, with about 3,000 employees. Its vaccine mandate went into effect Oct. 15.
Of fewer than 80 requests for exceptions, about half were granted, tribal consortium spokesperson Shirley Young told the Anchorage Daily News.
As of Oct. 19, the day after the vaccination policy took effect, Providence Alaska reported 99.3% of its approximately 4,600 system-wide employees had either been vaccinated or received a religious or medical exemption, hospital spokesperson Mikal Canfield said.
A small number of employees resigned as a result of the policy, said Florian Borowski, director of human resources at Providence Alaska Medical Center.
Anchorage’s third hospital, Alaska Regional, is not currently requiring its employees to get vaccinated.
