Cheyenne (Wyo.) Regional Health System said it will give bonuses and other rewards to employees who get vaccinated against COVID-19.
To be eligible, employees must be fully vaccinated already or get fully vaccinated by Oct. 31, according to an email to staff from President and CEO Tim Thornell.
Full‐time employees will be able to choose 16 hours of paid time off or a $600 bonus. Part‐time employees will be able to choose eight hours of paid time off or a $300 bonus. Those who work for the system on an as-needed basis will receive a $150 bonus.
"If people are getting vaccinated, they are much less likely to give it to you. You don't even have to be old to die of COVID. People in their 20s and 30s are dying from COVID; there's no way to tell who that's going to be. The more people we have vaccinated in our community the less people will die," April Kranz, MD, a pediatric hospitalist for Cheyenne Regional, told Wyoming News Now.
Cheyenne Regional employs about 2,100 people at its hospital and affiliated medical group. As of Sept. 29, about 75 percent of workers were vaccinated.