Massachusetts hospitals preparing to fire thousands of employees for not being vaccinated.
Massachusetts General Hospital. Image Credit: Jesse Costa/WBUR
Massachusetts hospitals are preparing to fire around 4,000 employees that have remained unvaccinated. The deadline for the employees to be vaccinated is between October 15th and November 1st. After this date, any employees that will remain without a COVID-19 vaccination will be fired.
It is believed that more than than 95% of employees have been vaccinated according to Mass General Brigham executives, but there are still around 4,000 employees which are not meeting the vaccination requirements, days before the 15th October deadline. The system employs 74,000 employees. Health officials have increased recruitment and retention efforts just in case.
According to Chief Human Resources Officer Rosemary Sheehan the vaccine mandate is intended to protect the patients, and is hoping that the number of employees fired will be in the hundreds rather than thousands.
This is a very difficult time for everyone, and we’re trying to respond with what’s best for our patients. That has been the beacon that has driven all of our decisions.
Chief Human Resources Officer Rosemary Sheehan
At Beth Israel Lahey Health the deadline for the vaccination mandate is October 31, and there are still 3,000 people unvaccinated out of the 35,000 workforce.
Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health Care said that around 90% of its 13,000 employees have been vaccinated. Those unvaccinated have till November 1st to comply with the vaccination mandate.
At Springfield-based Baystate Health more than 99% of its 12,000 employees have been vaccinated. Only 145 people have not been vaccinated yet and they all have been put on leave and were given two weeks to get fully vaccinated.
More details to follow.
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