Effective September 22, Mercy Iowa City has announced it will require all colleagues, medical staff, contractors, students, volunteers, and those conducting business in our facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 20, 2021, including both the hospital and Mercy clinics.

Mercy Iowa City has offered and encouraged vaccination for our colleagues since the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In August, the FDA fully approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of the disease, emphasizing the vaccine is safe and effective in saving lives. Additionally, the President signed an executive order that will require all health care facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement to require its colleagues to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“As a community hospital, we have a responsibility to protect our community, and this begins with protecting our colleagues,” said Mike Trachta, acting president and CEO of Mercy Iowa City. “Requiring colleagues to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will help protect our patients, many of whom are most vulnerable to COVID-19.”

Mercy Iowa City colleagues must submit proof of vaccination by December 20, 2021. Individuals who are not able to be vaccinated for strongly held religious beliefs or medical reasons will be required to apply for an exemption.

Mercy Iowa City strongly encourages all who are eligible and able to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are now widely available in many convenient locations, including at all Mercy Family Medicine locations and Mercy Coralville Internal Medicine. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit MercyIowaCity.org/covid19-vaccine.

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About Mercy Iowa City

Mercy Iowa City is an acute care hospital and regional referral center for southeast Iowa. Mercy has received: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) 5 Star Rating as a Top 2% of all hospitals for the fifth consecutive year, the only hospital in Iowa to do so; the Fortune IBM/Watson Health 100 Top Hospital ranking; the accredited Chest Pain Center with the American Heart Association Gold Plus Achievement Award for Stroke Care; the Top 100 Community Hospitals Award in 2018 and 2019 from Becker’s Review; the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Mercy’s Emergency Care Unit by achieving 95 percent for patient experience for 13 consecutive years; and the Center of Distinction Award from Healogics for Mercy’s Wound and Vein Center. Mercy has 194 acute care beds, 25 private rooms for outpatient surgery, a 26-bed nursery with Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 28 primary and specialty care clinics, a medical staff of 250 physicians representing all major medical specialties and most subspecialties, and 1,350 employees. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1873 and became an affiliate of MercyOne in 2017. To learn more visit www.mercyiowacity.org.