They're known as "Pepper Centers" and there are only 14 of them in the U.S. Now, our UConn Center on Aging is one of them, with the awarding of a $7 million grant to establish the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center at UConn. Read how our expertise in geriatrics and gerontology earned this coveted designation.

Thank you for your question. As you know, this week we announced that all employees, volunteers and other members of the UConn Health workforce will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be approved for an exemption or deferral. This decision is in line with the Connecticut Hospital Association consensus statewide policy endorsing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all health care employees, a vote by our own Medical Board, and nearly 60 major medical organizations including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, among others. These organizations believe, and we agree, that the COVID-19 vaccines that are available are safe and effective, and that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to prevent sickness, infection and subsequent transmission of the virus. With the emergence of the Delta variant, a highly contagious version of COVID-19, we feel strongly that widespread vaccination, now more than ever, is a critical tool in slowing or stopping the pandemic and in protecting our community.

 

Thank you again for your question, and to others who have raised questions asking about mandatory vaccines. In the coming days, we will have additional resources and an FAQ page on this topic, and I’m planning a town hall meeting in the near future, so please watch Lifeline and the Dashboard for details.