VACCINATION MANDATE
Saratoga, Glens Falls hospitals to require all employees be fully vaccinated or face weekly testing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Saratoga Hospital is requiring that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID by Sept. 7 or be tested for the virus weekly.
Glens Falls Hospital, meanwhile, announced its employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 or face weekly testing.
Saratoga Hospital’s vaccination policy, announced to hospital employees on Monday, requires them to provide proof of vaccination by the Sept. 7 deadline or start weekly testing. The policy also includes exemptions and deferrals. Those who do not comply with the policy will be placed on leave.
“As Saratoga County’s only hospital and as a major employer, we owe it to patients and staff to do everything possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that our facilities are safe for all who work here and rely on us for care,” said Angelo Calbone, Saratoga Hospital president and CEO, in a press release.
“The evidence is clear: These vaccines save lives,” he added. “COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. We feel strongly that they must be part of any response to one of the most dangerous health threats in our lifetimes.”
The policy reflects guidance from the hospital’s medical staff, board of trustees and individuals across the Saratoga Hospital organization. Discussions also included other affiliates in the Albany Med Health System and healthcare providers throughout Northeastern New York.
The policy will be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect changing conditions, new knowledge and the latest CDC guidance.
Saratoga Hospital joins more than 90 hospitals and health systems nationwide in requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees. New York State has announced it will require state employees to be vaccinated as of
Labor Day. And nearly 60 major medical organizations — including the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association — have called for all healthcare and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“The delta variant has arrived in our region, and COVID-19 cases are rising, especially among those who have not been vaccinated,” Calbone said in the release. “Requiring vaccinations will protect our employees and their families, our patients, those who are too young to get vaccinated and those who are immunocompromised.
“From the beginning, we’ve said we’re all in this together,” he added. “That includes getting vaccinated for the good of our community.”
The policy at Glens Falls Hospital extends to physicians, nurses, support staff, contractors and all colleagues with clinical or non-clinical responsibilities.
Glens Falls Hospital held its first COVID vaccine clinic on December 23, 2020 and has vaccinated a total of 5,362 individuals (employees and community members). Since December, Glens Falls Hospital said it has offered the vaccine to every member of its workforce, and today, more than 86 percent of all employees are fully vaccinated.
“We have undergone extensive and careful consideration of requiring our team to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our patients, staff and community,” Glens Falls Hospital President and CEO Dianne Shugrue said in a press release. “The vaccine requirement aligns Glens Falls Hospital with the Albany Medical Health System’s mission to provide quality care and prioritization of safety for our patients, colleagues and community.
“The effects of this pandemic have been devastating, but the hope of moving forwarding towards a better tomorrow, starts with the vaccine.”
Exemptions and deferrals for Glens Falls Hospital employees may be approved on a limited basis. Any employee who does not receive an exemption or deferral, or show proof of vaccination, will be terminated from the organization. Those meeting the limited exemptions and deferrals will be required to undergo regular weekly COVID testing for the duration of deferral or exemption.
“People need to be very confident in the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines,” Hillary Alycon, MPH, CIC Director of Infection Prevention and Control, said in a recent Glens Falls Hospital community education seminar. “There is no live virus present in the vaccine, only what is known as the messenger or mRNA spike protein, so it is impossible for the vaccine to cause COVID-19 or harm our DNA.
“When we take the vaccine, we begin to develop antibodies that recognize these spike proteins which are on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This builds up our immunity and will help keep us safe from the disease.”