Five Centra caregivers have been terminated since the health care system put its COVID-19 vaccine mandate into effect, and 31 more caregivers have left on their own.
Centra announced its COVID-19 vaccine policy requirement August 16, 2021, three weeks before plans were announced for a federal mandate regarding businesses with more than 100 employees each.
Centra’s deadline for the vaccine requirement ended November 1, ahead of the January 4 federal deadline. November 2, according to the health system, about 1.9% of Centra’s caregivers did not meet the compliance standards by the deadline. 79 caregivers were not in compliance, with 55 caregivers only partially vaccinated.
All combined, Centra says, the statuses of 134 people were pending as of the November 1 deadline, leading to Centra leadership having conversations with the caregivers to determine how to move forward. 34 caregivers remained pending in compliance after the suspension period November 16, resulting in five caregivers being terminated, according to Centra.
As a result of the policy, 31 caregivers voluntarily resigned, according to Centra, which says the 36 departures do not impact staffing within the Centra system.
As of November 18, Centra says, its caregiver population is 100% compliant with the mandate.
As of October 1, the COVID-19 vaccine is a condition of employment at Centra, with all new hires required to be compliant with the policy.
So far, Centra does not intend to require weekly testing for caregivers who have received approved policy exemptions, though federal guidelines may change that. As federal guidelines continue to evolve, Centra plans to align its policy with federal requirements.
“Our patients and caregivers expect to be safe when they enter one of our facilities, and we need to do everything we can to protect them,” says Michael Elliott, Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer with Centra. “We know the vaccine is the single most important step we can take to protect ourselves and each other from COVID-19.”