STATEMENT OF RECORD RELEASE
June 15, 2021
Contact:
For Public Health Management Corporation
Emily Charles, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Public Health Management Corporation Requiring Employee COVID-19 Vaccinations
Policy will help protect the organization’s 3,500 employees and more than 350,000 clients as organization plans for full return to onsite operations
PHILADELPHIA – Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities, today announced all employees will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by September 17, 2021. The decision was made to help protect the organization’s 3,500 employees and more than 350,000 clients served annually as PHMC prepares for a full return to onsite operations.
“As the region’s leading provider of public health services, PHMC’s mission is to build healthier communities through scientific, evidence-based solutions,” said Richard J. Cohen, PHMC President and Chief Executive Officer. “The decision to require employee vaccinations underscores this mission. The COVID-19 vaccines were proven safe and effective, and will allow us to protect our staff while serving the region’s most vulnerable with public health services that are needed now more than ever. It is our duty and responsibility to demonstrate our commitment to science in this way.”
The organization expects to return to full onsite operations by October 12. Leaders will work with employees who have been working remotely or through adjusted operations to begin a phased approach to onsite work through July, August and September. To date, all PHMC employees have been offered the opportunity to receive the vaccine through the PHMC Health Network or encouraged to visit a provider of their choosing. The vaccine requirement includes all employees across PHMC, including its programs, subsidiaries and shared services areas. Employees unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons or religious beliefs will be asked to apply for an exemption.
PHMC has been a vital resource in protecting the Philadelphia region since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a critical and essential service provider, PHMC maintained in-person service delivery across many of its programs throughout the entirety of the pandemic. Over the past year, the PHMC Health Network’s five federally qualified health centers continued patient-centered health services while providing COVID-19 testing and treatment. In addition, through partnerships with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration, the PHMC Health Network has provided more than 17,000 vaccinations at PHMC health centers and programs, across the City’s shelter system and at community clinics and schools.
PHMC continues to focus on building COVID-19 vaccine confidence among staff, the community and those receiving services. PHMC provided all participant-facing employees with tools and resources to start conversations with clients and debunk myths related to the COVID-19 vaccines, with an emphasis on building confidence in Black and Brown communities. PHMC subsidiary National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) was also awarded a $5 million CDC grant to help build COVID-19 confidence among nurses and the communities they serve.
For more information on PHMC, please visit https://www.phmc.org/site/.
About PHMC
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that builds healthier communities through partnerships with government, foundations, businesses, and community-based organizations. It fulfills its mission to improve the health of the community by providing outreach, health promotion, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services.
PHMC has served the Greater Philadelphia region since 1972 as a facilitator, developer, intermediary, manager, advocate and innovator in the field of public health. With more than 3,500 employees, hundreds of programs and a network of subsidiary organizations, PHMC serves more than 350,000 clients annually and is one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation.
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