WTEN: NYS Maintains Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandate Despite Federal COVID Emergency Lifting

Steven Hanks, M.D., president & CEO, St. Peter’s Health Partners and St. Joseph’s Health, discussed the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and its impact on staffing challenges during an interview on WTEN.

From the story:

The worst of the pandemic is now behind us, but the staffing shortages it caused still slow down the state healthcare system.

“We worry that, at some point staffing shortages can represent a public health crisis in and of itself,” says Dr. Steven Hanks, the president and CEO for St. Peter’s Health Partners.

He estimates the hospital system lost around 500 nurses and staff following the hospital and long-term care facility vaccine mandate. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo first announced the employee vaccination policy in August 2021, citing healthcare workers’ increased exposure to COVID-19 and its variants.

Click here to watch the full report.