KANSAS CITY, Mo. — AdventHealth, which oversees local facilities that include AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, has suspended its vaccine requirement for employees, according to a company spokesperson.
The decision comes after a federal court decision regarding President Joe Biden's administration's attempt to create a vaccine mandate for medical centers that work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
"Due to recent decisions by the federal courts to block the CMS vaccine mandate, we are suspending the vaccination requirements prescribed by this mandate," a company spokesperson said. "We will continue to monitor the ongoing litigation regarding the federal law."
The company spokesperson said that instead, the company is encouraging staff to be vaccinated.
"As part of our commitment to protecting the health and well-being of our team members, patients and communities, we strongly encourage all of our team members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," they said.
Currently, about 87% of local AdventHealth employees reported that they are vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the spokesperson.
