CareFrist BlueCross BlueShield, the largest healthcare company in the mid-atlantic region, will require all employees, board members and visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1.
CareFirst already required employees to be fully vaccinated if they interacted in person with community members and business partners on behalf of the company. Now, all employees, including those who work remotely, will have until Nov. 1 to get vaccinated if they have not already done so or to apply for a medical or religious exemption.
The November deadline will also apply to contingent workers who enter CareFirst facilities or who engage with community members and business partners on behalf of CareFirst, and to guests visiting CareFirst facilities.
CareFirst President and CEO Brian D. Pieninck announced the company’s vaccine requirement on Monday, saying it is the latest effort by the organization to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among CareFirst employees and community members.
“Requiring COVID-19 vaccinations reinforces what CareFirst stands for as a champion of health and our role in protecting the communities we serve, those we employ, and their families,” Pieninck said in a statement.
Pieninck added that getting vaccinated is one step toward ending the pandemic.
“This is what it means to put the health and safety of the people we serve first as we work to transform healthcare in every aspect of what we do and live up to what our members and stakeholders expect when they hear the name CareFirst,” he said. “As a leading healthcare organization, it is our responsibility to do our part to end this pandemic and protect the health and well-being of our members, workforce, partners and communities.”
Angela Celestin, CareFirst’s chief human resources officer, said the company made the decision to improve safety and services for employees, community members and business partners alike.
“We view this decision as an extension of our ongoing transformation efforts intended to optimize how and where we work,” Celestin said in a statement. “This includes building a safe environment for in-person collaboration. CareFirst must be future-ready as we emerge as a more hybrid workforce that is deeply engaged in communities throughout the region.”
CareFirst will enforce the vaccination guidelines for guests who enter the company’s facilities and attend events sponsored by CareFirst. CareFirst employees and contingent workers will not be required to attend in-person functions or meetings that do not follow these vaccination protocols.
Pieninck called on other companies and organizations to implement their own policies to encourage people to be vaccinated.
“Employers are in a unique position, no matter the industry, to directly impact the health and wellness of their employees and the populations they serve, particularly, as we continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19,” Pieninck said. “Our ask to fellow employers, organizational leaders, and business partners is to set an example that reflects our shared responsibility to protect our communities’ health by getting vaccinated against COVID-19.”
People can visit CareFirst’s website to find a nearby location to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
