"The number of resignations received leaves us no choice but to pause delivering babies..."
A hospital in upstate New York has been forced to “pause” its maternity services after a number of unvaccinated staff members resigned.
Six employees resigned from Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville, New York in light of the state's healthcare worker vaccine mandate, while another seven are still hesitant to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The new emergency mandate, which went into effect on August 23 and gave health workers a little over a month to get their first dose, requires employees in health care facilities across the state to be fully vaccinated against the virus.
In a
press conference, Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cayer said: “We are unable to safely staff the service after September 24. The number of resignations received leaves us no choice but to pause delivering babies at Lewis County General Hospital.
"It is my hope that the (state) Department of Health will work with us in pausing the service rather than closing the maternity department.”
Thirty people, he said, have resigned from their positions at the hospital since the vaccine was mandated. Twenty of those who resigned worked clinical roles, such as nurses, therapists and technicians.
Cayer added that 165 staffers at the hospital remain unvaccinated, 73% of whom also provide clinical services.
The pause, beginning the 25th of this month, is
reportedly scheduled two days before the state’s deadline for health-care workers to be vaccinated if they want to continue working.
While small communities across the US are experiencing staff hesitation to get vaccinated – usually in more conservative areas of the country –
approximately 96% of physicians and 88% of nurses are vaccinated against the virus nationwide.
