New York prepares for healthcare disruptions as covid-19 vaccine mandate takes effect

REUTERS
REUTERS

Summary

  • Judges have blocked mandates for courts and New York City schools, but hospitals and nursing homes face worker shortages this week

New York state’s healthcare system is bracing for staff shortages this week as a vaccine mandate takes effect at midnight on Monday, presenting the largest test case so far of how similar requirements will play out across the country.

Government officials said they spent the last several days working to vaccinate workers while planning for potential disruptions. A hospital in Rochester postponed elective surgeries, while some nursing homes have paused new admissions.

“We’re anticipating a problem," said Michael Balboni, executive director of the Greater New York Health Care Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes in and around New York City. “There are already many nursing homes that have not been taking new admissions over the last weeks, and looking at their staffing routines so they basically stretch."

The state mandate requires that more than 665,000 workers in public and private hospitals and nursing homes receive their first vaccine dose by midnight Monday to continue working on Tuesday.

On Friday, federal and state judges temporarily blocked similar requirements that were set to take effect Monday for nearly 150,000 people who work in New York City public schools and about half of the employees of the state court system. Lawyers for the city and the court system said they would seek to have the mandates reinstated in court this week.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday she was prepared to deal with healthcare staff shortages by activating the National Guard. She said she was ready to declare an emergency that would allow providers licensed in other states or countries, recent graduates and retired healthcare professionals to practice in New York state.

Other states and the federal government are bracing for similar disruptions as vaccine requirements take effect in the coming weeks and months.

Mandates take effect for Connecticut healthcare workers on Monday, and on Thursday in California. Twenty-three states require employees in healthcare settings to be vaccinated, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, a nonprofit policy group. Several states including Illinois allow employees to opt out if they agree to weekly testing, but New York is drawing a firm line: Get vaccinated or lose your job.

Several lawsuits filed by affected healthcare workers in New York, some backed by unions, are pending in state and federal courts. But no judge has stopped the mandate from taking effect, making New York an early example of how many workers who oppose vaccination will opt to leave their jobs in the face of mandates.

According to the New York State Department of Health, 87% of nursing-home employees had received at least one vaccine dose as of Saturday and 84% of hospital employees had completed their vaccine series as of Wednesday.

Data show the rates of refusal are lower in downstate hospitals than in more remote upstate areas further from New York City. The city-based NewYork-Presbyterian hospital network said last week that of its 37,000 employees and 11,000 affiliated doctors, fewer than 250 refused to comply with a vaccine mandate.

In Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital said it would pause elective procedures for two weeks because of potential staff shortages. “Patients can expect longer wait times for routine appointments, some employees will be asked to take on new responsibilities, and temporary bed closures are possible," the University of Rochester Medical Center, whose network includes Strong, said.

Ms. Hochul said she was encouraged by reports that more health workers were getting vaccine shots ahead of the Monday deadline. “It is still my hope that as the hours tick down, that more people realize they have a responsibility to protect their patients, to protect their fellow workers," she said Friday.

A federal judge in Utica, N.Y., recently issued a restraining order saying the state’s mandate, which includes a provision for medical exemption, must also consider religious-exemption requests in response to a lawsuit filed by 17 Christian medical professionals. Ms. Hochul said the state was within its rights not to offer a religious exemption, and a hearing over the issue is scheduled for Oct. 12.

The lawsuit creates “another question mark" for hospitals that have accepted religious exemptions, said Gary Fitzgerald of the Iroquois Healthcare Association, which represents smaller facilities in upstate areas.

In New York City, a federal appeals court on Friday issued a temporary injunction against the school vaccine mandate and scheduled it for consideration on Wednesday. City Education Department spokeswoman Danielle Filson said the department was looking forward to a speedy resolution in court this week.

Union officials on Friday estimated that 95% of teachers and more than 90% of school administrators have been vaccinated, but they were afraid the city wasn’t prepared to fill gaps that could have emerged on Tuesday morning.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said his union hoped the federal order would give city officials more time to prepare.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

 

 

 

 

 

 

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