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A small hospital in upstate New York plans to put deliveries on hold starting a few weeks because some of its labor and delivery nurses have resigned rather than comply with the state’s mandate on the Covid vaccine.
This development highlights the challenges many health systems face in the face of a national nursing shortage and reluctance to immunize among some health workers.
“The calculations just don’t work,” Gerald Cayer, chief executive of the Lewis County Health System, said at a press conference Friday. “The number of resignations received leaves us with no choice but to suspend deliveries.”
Six of 18 staff in the Maternity Department at Lewis County General Hospital have resigned and seven have not indicated whether they will be vaccinated, Mr Cayer said in an interview on Monday. The hospital, located in Lowville, capital, expected to deliver around 200 babies this year, he added.
At least 30 health care workers have resigned since former Governor Andrew Cuomo made vaccination by September 27 mandatory for New York State health workers, Cayer said. Of those who resigned, 21 worked in clinical fields.
The Lewis County General Maternity Department will suspend deliveries on September 25, Cayer said, and other units could be affected if more workers quit. Future parents in the area will have other options: there are hospitals with maternity wards in Carthage, about 15 miles from Lowville, and in Watertown, about 27 miles away.
The vast majority of workers in its health care system have complied with the mandate. Mr Cayer said 464 employees, or 73 percent, have been fully vaccinated and that he he hoped staff members who quit would reconsider and take the photos before the deadline. “Anyone who has resigned who changes their mind will be welcome,” he said.
The resignations took place in an area suffering from a severe staff shortage. There has been a shortage of experienced maternity nurses across upstate New York, said Dr Sean Harney, the hospital’s medical director. Thousands of vacant nursing positions remain, Cayer said.
Lewis County, with approximately 27,000 residents, is one of the least populated and most politically conservative counties in the state, and has one of the lowest Covid vaccination rates: 44% of residents were fully vaccinated on Friday, up from 61% statewide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reports of new cases have more than doubled in Lewis County and hospitalizations have increased 35% in the past 14 days, according to a New York Times database.
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