Windsor Regional Hospital Placed Over 100 Unvaccinated Staff Members On Unpaid Leave

Over 100 staff members at Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) are being placed on two-week unpaid leave for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Wednesday, September 22, the hospital sent out a memo that revealed 140 employees and seven professional staffers had not received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The 140 unvaccinated employees make up 4% of the hospital workforce, while the professional staff members only make up 1%.

WRH says these staff members have until October 7 to receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. If they haven't gotten the first dose by that time, they'll either be fired or have their privileges immediately suspended on a mid-term basis.

In their media release, WRH also mentioned that since their memo was issued, some of their unvaccinated staff members have already gone to get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.

"Windsor Regional Hospital has put the safety and well-being of patients, our community and team members first by requiring employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19," David Musyj, president and CEO of WRH, said in the memo. "Our WRH team members responded by showing the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The individuals who have not complied with the Policy and decided not to be vaccinated will not impact the provision of clinical or non-clinical care to our community."

WRH's board of directors approved a policy mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees on September 3. All staff members were expected to receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by September 22, unless they were exempt under the Human Rights Code or if they showed medical documentation for their exemption.

This policy follows a directive set out by Ontario's top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, that required all hospitals in the province to create their own COVID-19 vaccination policies.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.