More than two-thirds of the 840 employees at Olean General, a sister facility to Bradford Regional Medical Center, are vaccinated, the hospital said. But more than 200 staff who come from nearly every department, including nursing, have not met the requirement, according to a statement.
The potential to lose unvaccinated staff under the mandate is “enough to push the hospital into a disaster status,” said Upper Allegheny Health System, which operates both hospitals.
“This is a perfect storm for hospitals,” the health system said. “We are battling a new wave of COVID with staffing challenges, fighting to recruit and retain nurses and support staff.”
Mary Altaffer / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: In this July 22, 2021, file photo, health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. U.S. health officials Wednesday, Aug. 18, recommended all Americans get COVID-19 booster shots to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness is falling.
The hospital said it’s appealing to unvaccinated employees to get the shot while preparing emergency plans, including putting staff on shifts and limiting or shutting down some services.
Olean General and Bradford Regional Medical Center merged in 2018. Staffing shortages and revenue loss resulted in the consolidation of services, like surgeries, to Olean in May.
Bradford resident Marty Wilder said staffing cuts to Olean General “would reverberate through both hospitals, for sure.”
Eleven Olean General employees have resigned because of the mandate. A spokesperson for the health system said it wants New York to allow frequent testing of unvaccinated staff to avoid what it calls “a statewide catastrophe in healthcare.”
