St. Mary’s, Grand River hospitals to require proof of vaccination for care partners

By CityNews Kitchener Staff

A pair of hospitals will soon require patients' care partners to provide proof of vaccination.

The policies come into effect at St. Mary's General Hospital and Grand River Hospital on November 9. 

Starting this Friday at Grand River, screeners will be set up at hospital entrances to ask care partners to show proof of vaccination along with ID. No approved care partners will be turned away during the introductory period.

Once the policy fully comes into effect at Grand River Hospital on November 9, care partners will have to provide proof of full vaccination in order to obtain access. Those with valid exemptions, and those who are granted exceptions by the hospital, will be escorted by a staff member. 

“Exceptions will be determined on a case by case basis,” said a statement from Grand River Hospital. 

St. Mary's General Hospital also said there are exceptions to its policy, like if someone has a valid medical or religious exemption. 

A statement added, “There are exceptions to the policy where care partners may be provided an exemption by St. Mary's to provide comfort and care for a patient requiring emergency, critical or palliative care, for example.” 

Grand River Hospital also provided the following statement on Thursday afternoon. It's from Executive Vice President of Clinical Services, Bonnie Camm:

“Grand River Hospital’s updated Care Partner guidance is our next step in ensuring the safety of our GRH team members, our patients, their families,and the community. Since the beginning of the pandemic our care partner guidance has been evolving. What has remained the same throughout is our acknowledgement that there are times when care partner presence is critical and we have always allowed for exceptions under exceptional circumstances. We know these occasions are most likely to occur at the beginning of life, the end of life, for the most serious of illness and injury, and when a patient isn’t cognitively or developmentally able to advocate for themselves.These decisions continue to be made on a case-by-case basis. We strongly encourage care partners to speak with the program manager in the area of care where their loved one is currently, or will be in the near future, to discuss the possibility of an exemption in their particular circumstances. As always we encourage everyone to take measures to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today