150 employees leave ChristianaCare in Delaware due to vaccine mandate
"A small number of caregivers chose not to be vaccinated and have left the organization," said CEO Dr. Janice Nevin.
NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) -- At ChristianaCare, one of the largest employers in Delaware, the deadline for staff to get vaccinated for COVID-19 has passed.
CEO Dr. Janice Nevin acknowledged in a statement that 150 employees left the company after not meeting the September 21 deadline to get vaccinated.
"In late July, we made a commitment to put the safety of our caregivers and our patients first by requiring COVID-19 vaccination for everyone who works at ChristianaCare by September 21, 2021... As we anticipated, a small number of caregivers chose not to be vaccinated and have left the organization," said Nevin.
SEE ALSO: Teachers, school staff in Delaware must get COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1 or undergo testing
Of the 150 employees, 12 of those who left were full-time nurses.
The Delaware Nurses Association said while they are concerned about nursing shortages overall, they do not think that the departure of 12 will have an impact on patient care.
"They employ thousands and thousands of nurses within their health care system," explained the DNA'S Executive Director Christopher Otto. "We don't want to see any nurses or health care workers at this time have to resign from their position or take a new one, especially given the crisis we're in."
The DNA does support a vaccine mandate and said for years they have followed guidelines from the American Nurses Association, which has had a list of required vaccines and recently added the COVID-19 vaccine to that list.
On Tuesday, Delaware Gov. John Carney announced that all teachers and school staff in the state will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
It will be formally issued by emergency regulation and takes effect Nov. 1.
The requirement also applies to contractors and volunteers who work in K-12 public and private schools.
You can read the full statement from Christiana Care's CEO below:
"In late July, we made a commitment to put the safety of our caregivers and our patients first by requiring COVID-19 vaccination for everyone who works at ChristianaCare by September 21, 2021. Our organization has taken this important step to protect the safety of our caregivers, patients and community.
As we anticipated, a small number of caregivers chose not to be vaccinated and have left the organization. Separations for non-compliance with our vaccination policy resulted in the loss of approximately 150 employees, the equivalent of fewer than 90 full-time employees. Of these, fewer than 48 FTEs (full-time equivalents) provided direct patient care, and fewer than 12 FTEs were nurses. Approximately 200 caregivers have received religious or medical accommodations, and in addition to masking, these caregivers will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.
In the last month, our ongoing focus on workforce resulted in hiring more than 200 caregivers, including more than 160 positions that provide direct patient care. These new caregivers join an organization in which they can be confident that their colleagues are vaccinated and that their organization is a leader in COVID-19 safety.
We thank everyone who has made the decision to be vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is a service to others - especially our health care workers, who continue to battle COVID-19 daily as we meet the health care needs of our community. Vaccination continues to be our path not only to protect each other-but to ultimately reduce the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic."
