A mandate that could see thousands of unvaccinated health care workers and educators lose their jobs has reached the deadline date in New York. To some, this is a necessary step to encourage those who will not take a vaccine to get jabbed. On the other side, people wonder at the decision when, for more than a year, the complaints have been about overcrowded hospitals and overworked staff. Causing a further shortage of medical workers seems illogical.
Officials claim about 16% of the state’s hospital workers have yet to be fully vaccinated, which averages out to about 83,000 who are at risk of losing their jobs.
At Northwell Health, more than two dozen medical staff have been fired for not getting the shot while others have 30 days to comply or become unemployed. At Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, some 400 people (about 5% of staff) are on leave because they have not taken the jab. The center’s president and CEO said the facility has taken measures to be sure there will be enough employees to deal with patients:
“We stopped elective inpatient surgeries. We stopped some of our outpatient patient visits. We stopped ICU medical transfers from other referral rural hospitals … We’ve asked for more time to work on strategies with the state to ensure that as many people as possible get vaccinated.”
(Photo by Raychel Brightman/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Sending In the Guard
Some remember the Navy ships outfitted as hospitals that were sent by the Trump administration to overwhelmed cities in 2020, New York included, to help care for COVID patients. They went mostly unused. The USNS Comfort docked in New York Harbor, while the USNS Mercy sailed into Los Angeles harbor. Both were designed to alleviate medical centers overloaded with COVID patients, yet neither served more than a few people, all while nearby hospitals were running out of room. Both came with trained staff and medical equipment that basically proved to be a tragic waste of time and resources. This example demonstrates how poor the government has shown itself to be at using the resources at its disposal; now, it seems patients can expect a lower grade of care because qualified medical staff are being shown the door.
Over a year later, New York is bringing back the military. Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signed an executive order to call in the National Guard to fill the positions of medical personnel who lose their jobs for not complying with the vaccine mandate. Some health care workers are suing the state. Deborah Conrad explained, “I’m wearing the same exact PPE I’ve worn the whole pandemic and it’s always kept myself and patients safe. Why has that changed?”
School's Out
Schools are not faring any better. A temporary hold was placed on the vaccine mandate on Sept. 24, but a three-judge panel dissolved it already. New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio (D), said school staff has until Friday, Oct. 1, to be vaccinated. Michael Mulgrew, the United Federation of Teachers president, said the city estimates about 97% of education staff have been vaccinated, but only about one-third of schools are positioned to open without disruption.
Still, some educators are holding out, hoping to continue the fight against the mandate. Gina Rivero, a teacher, said:
“We do not need COVID 19 certificates replacing certified teachers, paraprofessionals, school safety agents, administrators. That’s who we want leading our schools. That’s who these children deserve.”
The focus, it appears, is on making everyone get vaccinated but not on the health care of people in general. To those who are opposed to the far-reaching mandate, firing staff when there is already a shortage and current employees are overworked makes little sense. At the same time, reducing or restricting treatment for patients, such as outpatient surgery and cancer regimens, is a detriment to patient welfare.
~ Read more from Kelli Ballard.
