(WXYZ) — The Henry Ford Health System said at a Monday press conference that as of the end of the day today, 98% of its workforce will be vaccinated against COVID-19 — either fully or on the first dose with the second dose scheduled.
The target date for the system’s vaccine mandate was last Friday, September 10.
Henry Ford Health System leaders say when they first announced the mandate in June, they were at a 68% vaccination rate.
Bob Riney, president of health care operations and COO for Henry Ford Health System, said no one will be fired for refusing to get the vaccine, but will rather face a three week suspension. Those team members will have until October 1 to change their mind. If they still refuse, they will voluntarily resign from the organization. That voluntary resignation, according to Riney, will give the team members a chance to return should they decide to get vaccinated in the future.
“We hope to serve as an example to our community, our state, and the country on how seriously we take one another’s health and well-being,” said Riney.
He also noted that some team members are pending review for a medical or religious exemption, which he said accounts for around 1 percent of that 98%.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.