Local Hospitals Require Employees to Get Flu Shot

RIO GRANDE VALLEY — The flu outbreak is gripping much of the Valley, but do local hospitals require their staff to have flu shots while employed by the hospital? Both McAllen Medical Center and Doctor's Hospital-Renaissance Hospital say they believe it's important to take preventative measures to maintain their patients and employees health and safety. Both hospitals have a mandatory policy that employees receive a flu shot, though there are some exceptions as stated by DHR Jim Darling, "We do have a policy related to mandatory flu shots, we have an exception for religious beliefs and of course we honor that, we just expect the employee to wear masks and take other precautionary measures."