Hospitals brace for worker shortages

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Monday evening to fill gaps left by healthcare employees who missed the state’s vaccination deadline on Monday. The order waives re-registration fees for out-of-state, vaccinated employees to administer vaccines and COVID-19 tests in the state. Hochul has also considered recruiting National Guard members with medical training. A medical corporation in Buffalo said it placed 5 percent of its hospital staff on unpaid leave. The state’s largest healthcare provider, Northwell Health, said roughly two dozen unvaccinated employees were “exited from the system” with more to follow.

How many might be fired? President Joe Biden plans to require all healthcare workers to get vaccinated, but the administration has not released specifics of the mandate. While large states like New York and California say they will not face widespread shortages, smaller healthcare systems across the South and the Midwest fear they might have to ration care if large percentages of their staff resign or are fired for refusing vaccination. Hochul’s office reported 92 percent of New York’s hospital staff had received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday evening.

Dig deeper: Listen to Sarah Schweinsberg’s report about unvaccinated employees on The World and Everything In It podcast.