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September 29, 2021

YNHH anticipates terminating roughly 100 for vaccine refusal

Photo | Kristin Hynes/Yale New Haven Health Onyema Ogbuagu, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist, gets a COVID-19 vaccination from pharmacist Natasha Stroedecke on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, at Yale New Haven Hospital.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Yale New Haven Health officials predicted this week that approximately 100 staff members will not meet the Sept. 30 deadline to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and face termination.

Mark D’Antonio, a YNHH spokesman, said Wednesday morning that by Sept. 27, the number of staff members who weren’t fully vaccinated had dropped to around 420.

However, some staffers have been pursuing getting vaccinated in recent days, and health system officials expect the number to be lower by the deadline, or around 100 people. Termination notices are expected to go out to those who aren’t in compliance, according to YNHH.

As of Sept. 21, the system had reported that the number of unvaccinated had been at about 700, so there was a significant change in staffers pursuing vaccination in a week’s time.

Back in July, the system indicated its nearly 29,000 employees had until Aug. 31 to get their first shot, and Sept. 30 to get fully vaccinated. 

Workers who fail to comply are getting warnings prior to formal termination proceedings. Employees were able to seek exemptions, such as for religious or health reasons.

Marna P. Borgstrom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health, has said she anticipates some employees will tender their resignations at the end of the month, rather than face termination. Some who are eligible are retiring instead, she noted. 

According to Borgstrom, the system made the decision to issue the mandate after concluding it was “the only way to be safe as healthcare providers.”

The health system includes Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence+Memorial Hospital in New London and Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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