Ninety-four employees at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health lost their jobs Oct. 18 because they failed to meet the system's COVID-19 vaccination requirement, according to the New Haven Register.
Yale New Haven Health announced its vaccination mandate for employees June 30. The policy required employees to be vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption before Oct. 1. Those who did not comply received a verbal warning the week of Sept. 27, followed by a written warning if they were still not compliant the week of Oct. 4. Employees who were noncompliant the week of Oct. 11 were suspended, and those who were not compliant as of Oct. 18 were terminated.
"Yale New Haven Health has only 94 employees that are subject to termination. As with any process, the numbers remain fluid as we track where each employee is in the process of receiving their first and second vaccination. We continue to work with our employees to provide convenient options for vaccination, as well as education to assist with their decision making," the system said in a statement shared with Becker's.
Yale New Haven Health said a number of employees will become eligible to receive their second dose within the coming weeks, and as long as they receive that second dose, they will not be terminated.
The system added, "We are working with leaders and employees to ensure compliance with our policy in an effort to provide the safest environment for patients and staff."
Ohm Deshpande, MD, Yale New Haven Health's vice president of population health and clinical financial services, said more than 700 of the system's 30,000 employees have been granted exemptions, and those who are being terminated can get their jobs if they get vaccinated, according to the New Haven Register.
Yale New Haven Health is among the hospitals and health systems in the U.S. that are mandating COVID-19 vaccination. Some have lost workers who refused to get vaccinated.