Gift of Life Michigan to require staff to get COVID-19 vaccine

COVID Vaccine

Michigan’s organ and tissue procurement program is taking precautions to protect staff, patients and the community

Dorrie Dils, CEO of Gift of Life Michigan, recently announced the organization would require COVID-19 vaccination for all staff, beginning Sept. 10, 2021. The organization took this step for the safety of staff, donor families, and organ and tissue recipients as well as to protect the health and well-being of its hospital partners throughout the state. The continued spread of COVID-19 variants is a reminder that the pandemic is not over. Gift of Life Michigan is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021.

In a communication to staff, Dils wrote, “This was not a decision made lightly. One of our core values is compassion. I am asking you to have compassion for one another, to protect one another, and to contribute to eliminating this devastating virus in our community.”

Based in Ann Arbor, Gift of Life Michigan worked with the Washtenaw County Health Department to provide vaccinations to staff as soon as it was available to them. To date, about 70 percent of staff have been vaccinated.

By Sept. 10, 2021, all employees will be required to be vaccinated or receive an approved exemption. Staff should be prepared to provide documentation that they have completed the COVID-19 vaccination process (example: two doses of Pfizer or Moderna; one dose of J&J) or an approved exemption.

Gift of Life Michigan staff members routinely work in hospitals throughout Michigan. Once Henry Ford Health System and Trinity Health required vaccination, and with more hospitals and health systems expected to follow suit, Gift of Life Michigan fully embraced these requirements, not just for those who work in hospitals but for all staff.

“Gift of Life Michigan is a leader in advancing community health,” Dils said. “We have taken this public health crisis extremely seriously since the beginning of the pandemic, taking steps to protect our staff, donors, donor families and the communities we serve. Even as restrictions are being lifted throughout the state, we know the pandemic is not yet behind us. It’s important for us to set an example and take every precaution we can to keep our communities as safe and healthy as possible.”

Read More Posts

Liver recipient Alex and his mom, Tanisha, at his high school graduation.

From 8 months to 18 years old: Young man with donated liver reaches another milestone

From the outside, 18-year-old Alex Chandler seems like a typical teenager with a love for…

Read More
Students in Kingsford raised $1,500 for Gift of Life in hopes of making a difference.

Motivated U.P. students turn pennies into $1,500 for Gift of Life Michigan

When Finnley Lutz saw her fellow high school students roll up with two wheelbarrows filled…

Read More
Ossium Health is working to find more sources of life-saving bone marrow for patients in need. Organ donors are now giving marrow through Gift of Life Michigan and other organizations.

Ossium Health enables organ donors to save even more lives

Gift of Life collaborates with bioengineering leader for bone marrow transplantation  An innovative bioengineering company…

Read More
Emilio DeFoe in the hospital, before he donated his organs

Myth debunked by fact: Doctors work to save your life if you’re a registered organ donor

A terrified Terra DeFoe waited and watched as physicians and nurses at University of Michigan…

Read More
Students at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti get a glimpse of human organs during a Gift of Life presentation at their school in June. To learn how to welcome All of Us into your school, go to golm.org/allofus.

New bill would educate more ninth graders about organ and tissue donation

Just 21% of new drivers in Michigan are registering as organ donors, and we’re concerned…

Read More
Public Education Specialist Cristal Rivas explains to Lincoln High School students that people with health conditions could still help others with organ and tissue donation.

Michigan’s only source for teen education about donation is saving lives

High school students fresh out of a wide-eyed hour of Gift of Life’s All of…

Read More
Scroll to Top