As the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine nears for our front line team members, Tyson Foods is preparing a plan to make it available for U.S. team members through a partnership with Matrix Medical. 

Over the next several months, we will work with Matrix to ensure team members have accurate information about the vaccine, including how to access it when available. Though it will not be mandatory, we will encourage team members to get vaccinated, whether at Matrix or at a local health facility.

“Providing vaccine education and accessibility is a critical part of our ongoing commitment to put the health and safety of our team members first,” said Dean Banks, president and CEO of Tyson Foods.

Matrix will collaborate with Tyson Foods’ health services team to deploy mobile health clinics and expert clinical staff to support vaccine communications, administration and counseling at Tyson Foods facilities beginning in early 2021 and continuing throughout the year. Tyson Foods will provide team members with third-party education information in multiple languages from resources such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control about the vaccines and vaccination process. 

“Tyson and Matrix have worked together throughout the pandemic to create clinically driven strategies to mitigate the risk of the virus in the workplace,” said Dr. Daniel Castillo, M.D., chief medical officer for Matrix Medical Network. “Providing vaccinations and healthcare monitoring to Tyson employees is the next step in a comprehensive approach to fighting COVID-19 and establishing new ways of maintaining workplace health and safety for the future.”

Our vaccine education and distribution plan is the latest important step we have taken to prioritize the health and safety of our team members. Recently, we appointed Dr. Claudia Coplein as the first Chief Medical Officer in company history. 

And in the last year, we have invested more than $540 million to transform our facilities with measures ranging from walk-through temperature scanners and workstation dividers to social distance monitors, as well as providing additional team member pay and benefits. 

We’ve also hired an additional 200 nurses and administrative staff, which means the company now has an occupational health staff of almost 600. These medical professionals screen for COVID-19 symptoms, conduct testing and track cases to help care for team members if they become ill.

For more information on what we’re doing to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and our latest health initiatives, visit https://www.tysonfoods.com/coronavirus.