Vaccine Required For Doctors Community Medical Center Staff

LANHAM, MD — Doctors Community Medical Center will require its staff to get the coronavirus vaccine by Oct. 1. The hospital's parent company, Luminis Health, announced the deadline Aug. 2. Luminis said in June it would eventually mandate the immunization, but it did not lay out a timeline at that point.

"This requirement aligns with our flu vaccine policy for staff," Luminis stated in a press release. "We are committed to an implementation plan that supports our workforce with empathy and compassion, while educating our teammates, listening to and addressing their concerns, and dispelling myths."

The hospital chain pointed to coronavirus variants as one reason for the directive. The highly contagious delta variant has spread across the country, causing spikes in hospitalizations and cases.

Maryland is no exception. This surge has prompted inoculation, mask or test requirements for some workers, students and eventgoers around the state.

(Story continues below tweet)

Please read our latest update about requiring #COVID-19 vaccines for staff: https://t.co/vScDpm91p9
— Doctors Community Hospital (@LHDCMC) August 2, 2021

Luminis has administered more than 100,000 vaccines at its hospitals and mobile clinics. These initiatives bring immunizations to low-income communities, senior housing facilities, homeless shelters, churches, community colleges, barbershops and businesses. A schedule of mobile clinics is posted here.

"The COVID-19 vaccine clearly works," Luminis added. "It reduces risk of infection, spreading infection to others, and becoming severely ill or dying from the virus. The vaccine is our best shot at beating COVID-19 and ending this pandemic."

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• Mobile COVID-19 Vaccinators Help Anne Arundel, Prince George's

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.