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Syracuse NY – Upstate University Hospital suspended or fired 113 employees who had not received Covid-19 vaccines by the state’s vaccination mandate deadline on Monday.
Upstate said in a prepared statement that most unvaccinated employees have been suspended. Suspended workers are to meet with upstate employee-labor relations officials to discuss their refusal to be vaccinated in disciplinary hearings.
The employees who were laid off had not worked long enough in the upstate to qualify for disciplinary hearings.
The public hospital said workers can return to work if they get vaccinated.
Darryl Geddes, a spokesperson for the upstate, said affected workers will continue to be paid if they have accrued paid vacation.
Healthcare workers who are made redundant or suspended for not getting vaccinated are not eligible for unemployment benefits, according to the state Department of Labor.
Upstate, Syracuse’s largest hospital, said its employee vaccination rate was 96%. The hospital did not provide a breakdown of the number of employees receiving medical and religious exemptions. Upstate employs more than 6,600 people at its downtown Syracuse hospital and the Onondaga Hill Community General campus.
“The Ustate Teaching Hospital continues to assess staff and will make operational and service changes as necessary to ensure safety and high quality care,” the hospital said.
Read more: Nurses would rather lose their jobs than get vaccinated
St. Joseph’s Health, another hospital in Syracuse, has suspended 122 workers who had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 by Monday’s deadline. St. Joe’s employees will be laid off if they do not get vaccinated by October 8.
St. Joe’s has said it could suspend some services, consolidate operating rooms and cut back on elective surgeries due to the labor shortage.
Crouse Hospital reported seven unvaccinated workers who were not entitled to medical or religious exemptions, or who were exempt because they worked permanently from home, lost their jobs. Crouse said the vaccination rate for its employees was 94%.
The loss of workers in the upstate and other hospitals comes at a time when many healthcare facilities are under-staffed.
The upstate temporarily closed 22 of its 35 operating rooms on Monday in anticipation of a growing staff shortage due to New York’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
The hospital had previously postponed elective surgeries due to chronic staff shortages during the coronavirus pandemic.
The hospital said it was prioritizing surgeries that are medically necessary, urgent or involving cases of intensive care trauma. These surgeries will be grouped together in the 13 open operating theaters.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state will provide assistance to hospitals and nursing homes facing significant mandate-related staff shortages.
She recently signed an executive order that, among other things, will allow doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers from other states and countries to practice in New York City. Hochul also said she would deploy the National Guard, if necessary, to help facilities that are under-staffed.
James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Do you have a tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or [email protected]
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