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Northwell Health — the state’s largest hospitals and clinical network — has fired 1,400 employees for refusing to receive the coronavirus vaccine, it was revealed Monday.
Northwell Health has over 76,000 employees and is now filling the positions left vacant by workers who refused to comply with the state mandate for health workers to get vaccinated, a spokesman said.
Service for patients has not been affected, the rep said.
In New York City, Northwell Health operates Lenox Hill hospital in Manhattan, Long Island Jewish and LIJ Forest Hills in Queens, and Staten Island University hospital.
“Northwell Health is proud to announce that our workforce – the largest in New York State – is 100 percent vaccinated. This allows us to continue to provide exceptional care at all of our facilities, without interruption and remain open and fully operational,” the hospital network said in a statement.
“Northwell has taken a rapid, aggressive approach to move successfully toward full vaccination compliance while maintaining continuity of care and ensuring that our high standard of patient safety is not compromised in any way. We thank the vast majority of our employees who did the right thing and got vaccinated.”
A Northwell Health spokesman confirmed that 1,400 workers were let go.
“Northwell believes that having a fully vaccinated workforce is an important measure in our duty to protect the health and safety of our staff, our patients and the communities we serve.
“Northwell regrets losing any employee under such circumstances, but as health care professionals and members of the largest health care provider in the state, we understand our unique responsibility to protect the health of our patients and each other. We owe it to our staff, our patients and the communities we serve to be 100 percent vaccinated against COVID-19.
A spokesman said, “We are backfilling through recruitment. But nothing has caused any impact on patient care.”
Other hospitals have also suspended or fired workers who’ve refused to comply with the state vaccine mandate for health care workers, put in place to curb COVID-19 in patient settings. The mandate has been subject to multiple lawsuits.
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