St. Joseph’s Hospital says it is trying to hire back employees who left or were fired due to the 2021 statewide vaccine mandate for health care workers.
In response to the May 24 announcement that state officials were repealing enforcement of mandate requirements, St. Joseph’s Health released a statement saying their talent acquisition team is contacting former employees hoping to lure them back.
“While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of patients and colleagues and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response,” said St. Joseph's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Philip Falcone, in the statement. He added that COVID-related absenteeism, hospitalizations and deaths are at the lowest levels they’ve seen.
Leading up to the mandate, 84% of health care workers in New York were vaccinated for COVID-19. Nearly 80 former employees, or just over two percent of hospital staff, were terminated by Saint Joseph’s health over the mandates.
The mandate from Governor Kathy Hochul was not without detractors. State Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri determined it to be unconstitutional in January. A recent lawsuit said that many health care workers had their lives ruined over the mandate.
