Lewis County General Hospital in New York will not be delivering babies after September 24 because so many maternity workers have resigned over coronavirus vaccine mandates.
The announcement is according to Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cayer, who spoke during a press conference Friday in Lowville, WWNYTV reported.
He explained that six workers in the maternity unit resigned instead of getting the coronavirus shot and an additional seven were undecided. Cayer also said the hospital will not be able to safely staff the unit and therefore pause delivering babies.
He added he hopes it is a temporary situation and plans to work with the state Department of Health officials to ensure the unit will not permanently shut down.
“If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County,” Cayer explained.
He said 165 hospital workers have not yet been vaccinated against the virus, which is 27 percent of its workforce, adding that the remaining 464 employees have received their shots.
In August, New York mandated healthcare workers in the state be vaccinated for the coronavirus.
“All healthcare workers, including hospital workers and staffers at long-term care facilities, will be forced to get vaccinated by September 27, with limited exceptions,” Breitbart News reported.
Cayer said it caused 30 employees to get vaccinated but another 30 resigned from their positions.
“Our hope is as we get closer (to the deadline), the numbers will increase of individuals who are vaccinated, fewer individuals will leave and maybe, with a little luck, some of those who have resigned will reconsider,” he stated. “We are not alone. There are thousands of positions that are open north of the Thruway and now we have a challenge to work through, you know, with the vaccination mandate.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden ordered widespread vaccine mandates Thursday and demanded private businesses mandate vaccines for their workers.
“This is not about freedom or personal choice,” Biden claimed during his speech at the White House. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you.”
However, his announcement was an about face from his position in December when he said he did not support a widespread national vaccine mandate.
“I don’t think it should be mandatory, I wouldn’t demand it be mandatory,” he commented at the time.
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