Hospital and nursing home executives had planned for service reductions after implementation of the mandate, which they expected to magnify longstanding staffing shortages, Crain’s previously reported. The Healthcare Association of New York State, which includes 246 hospitals and health systems, warned in a memo to its members that vacancies were most significant among registered-nurse and entry-level clinical positions and “may increase diversions, transfers and the need to shut down critical service lines.”
Hochul signed an executive order late Monday night that allows her to use emergency powers to deploy medically trained National Guard members and bring in retired or out-of-state healthcare workers to alleviate any staffing shortages due to the loss of unvaccinated workers.
Employees who are terminated for refusing the vaccine will not be eligible for unemployment insurance unless they have a doctor-approved request for medical accommodation, the Department of Labor said.
Those who applied for religious exemptions to the mandate, however, will be able to continue working at least through Oct. 12, while lawsuits are pending against the state after the Public Health and Health Planning Council removed a planned religious exemption.
Employees of other healthcare facilities subject to the mandate, including home care and hospice agencies, face an Oct. 7 deadline to get at least one vaccine dose.
Below is a list of the vaccination rates at area hospitals and health systems, as reported by the facilities themselves, now that the mandate has gone into effect. Crain's will update the list throughout the day.
- Catholic Health (formerly Catholic Health System of Long Island): 87% of about 17,200 employees.
- Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn: 98%.
- New York-Presbyterian health system: 99% of about 48,000 employees.
- NYC Health + Hospitals system: 91% of 43,000 employees.
- NYU Langone health system: 99%.
- Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island: 90%.
- St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx: 97% of about 3,000 employees.
- St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Queens: 97% of about 1,700 employees.
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain's New York Business.