Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is letting two bills that allow employees to opt out of COVID-19 vaccination mandates to become law without his signature, he announced Oct. 13.

Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health announced Oct. 13 a new employee education program that will offer to pay 100 percent tuition for select clinical pathway programs.

Former Houston Methodist employees who resigned or were fired for not complying with the system's vaccination requirements are demanding their jobs back after Texas Gov.Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning COVID-19 vaccination mandates, according to Houston Public Media. 

As many hospitals adopt permanent remote and hybrid work models, nearly half of employees working from home report it increases their anxiety and hurts their efficiency at work, according to a recent Breeze survey.

A survey of hospitals and health systems in Washington state shows an overall staff vaccination rate of 88 percent statewide.

As the delta variant surge begins to wind down, more employees are heading back to the office, reaching a new pandemic high, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 12. 

Aspen (Colo.) Valley Hospital has started posting job openings to replace workers who will be terminated for being unvaccinated, The Aspen Times reported Oct. 11.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has seen healthcare workers leave their jobs, and the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed another decline.

A dozen governors have signed legislation restricting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in their states, according to a Sept. 9 report from the National Academy for State Health Policy.

September showed an overall job growth decline in the U.S., with the number of women on payrolls falling for the first time since December 2020. The child care shortage may be a driving factor for this, the Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 10.

Northwell Health, New York's largest healthcare provider and private employer, has chosen its affiliated, direct-to-employer company, Northwell Direct, to supply the provider network for the system's 2022 healthcare benefits for about 75,000 employees and dependents, the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based system said Oct. 11.

Amid increases in violence toward staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, unionized hospital workers are reporting a greater sense of urgency to address the issue at facilities and through legislation, according to Kaiser Health News.

Mayo Clinic announced in July its requirement that all staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 17 or undergo a refusal process, which includes watching education modules, wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing while at work.

Hospital employment has fluctuated throughout 2021, including job losses in September after two previous months of job gains.

Nearly all health systems conduct regular workforce planning assessments, which are traditionally used to determine physician needs in the community and justify recruitment or private practice assistance in support of several regulatory requirements.

In about six months, about 2,500 hospitals, or 40 percent of them in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, have said they are requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees.

Hospitals lost jobs in September, after gaining them the previous two months, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Massachusetts hospitals with COVID-19 vaccination requirements are preparing to lose hundreds of workers who fail to comply, according to The Boston Globe.

New research from the Pew Research Center shows that women in partnerships earn more than their single counterparts and are also more educated on average, Bloomberg reported Oct. 5.

Cleveland-based University Hospitals will transition some of its non-patient care nursing staff to bedside positions indefinitely amid "urgent" staffing shortages, according to an Oct. 5 FOX8 report.