No Vax, No Job: NYC Hospitals Expect Staff Shortages

As the mandated C-19 vaccine deadline quickly approaches, thousands of resistant health care workers got vaccinated. But others standing firm in their resistance expect to lose their jobs come Monday. With the vaccination timeline already established, medical workers are scrambling to make their final decision. Health care personnel must receive their first C-19 vaccine dose or have been approved through medical exemption by either Sept. 27 or Oct. 7. Staff members must then get fully vaccinated within the timeline recommended for the vaccination under federal guidelines.

At least eight lawsuits and several angry protests were sparked by the healthcare worker vaccine mandate in New York. Of the lawsuits filed by opponents of the mandate, they are mainly based on First Amendment grounds. And they serve as a reminder that thousands of health care workers will resign or be fired rather than get vaccinated. As a result, the state of New York is bracing for hospital staffing shortages.

Who will step in?

To correct the expected hospital staffing shortages, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency late Monday night. This action will allow her to deploy the National Guard and out-of-state medical workers to New York hospitals. “I’m using the full power of the state of New York to ensure that we do everything to protect people,” Hochul said on Monday. “This is simple, common sense.”

According to the New York City public hospital system, more than 8,000 workers were unvaccinated just a week ago. By Monday morning, that number dropped to about 5,000, bringing the statistics to over 10%of the workforce. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will require New York City public school staff to have at least one dose by Monday, said, “People who are on the fence benefit from these mandates, bluntly, as a way to make this decision.”

Increasing burnout in health care personnel

As the resistance to vaccinated health care professionals rises, so does the number of healthcare workers experiencing burnout. Following a brutal battle with C-19, medical staff members are healing from the trauma. And now, according to a study in JAMA Network Open, more than one in five healthcare workers (21%) have at least moderately considered leaving the workforce. In comparison, 30% have considered reducing hours because of C-19 stress. Unlike prior studies, this research took an in-depth look at the worker’s mental health during the pandemic and at the outside developments, including childcare, career development prospects and stress. Many workers suffer from such severe stress levels that they strongly consider leaving the job they have trained for their whole life.

“We suspect these disturbing trends likely exist within other health care systems nationwide,” said lead author Rebecca Delaney, Ph.D., in a University of Utah press release.