(Editors note – we were informed after publication of this story by Prevea that while they operate in partnership with Hospital Sisters Health System – the operators of St. Nicholas Hospital, they are a separate entity and do not operate St. Nicholas directly, and the vaccination mandate applies only to Prevea. They included the following statement:
“A statement on behalf of HSHS Wisconsin
At this time, HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin do not require employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19, but continue to highly encourage it and are evaluating the option.”
We apologize for the confusion. The story below has been corrected to reflect this)
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With COVID-19 now increasing once again, one an operator, and the other a partner of one of Sheboygan County’s two hospitals and many of its clinics, will require all staff to be fully vaccinated.
Announcements went out Wednesday from Advocate Aurora and Prevea. Advocate Aurora operates Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center. Prevea is a partner of Hospital Sisters Health Systems, which operates St. Nicholas Hospital, but stressed that its mandate is for Prevea employees only. Prevea set a deadline of October 5th for its staff in over 100 locations to either be fully vaccinated or complete an exemption process, while Advocate Aurora set a deadline of October 15th. That applies to all team members, including those in non-patient facing roles and remote workers, and included no provision for an exemption for its more than 75,000 employees.
Both agencies said their decision was based upon protecting the health and safety of patients, staff and communities, while Aurora President and CEO Jim Skogsbergh told team members in a video that, “The data is overwhelming. This vaccine is safe, and it’s highly effective in preventing infection and even more so, serious illness and death.”
