Hundreds of Hartford HealthCare employees produced vaccine cards and exemption applications at the eleventh hour — reducing the number of workers facing suspension to 300.
Last week, HHC officials had reported that 680 employees of 34,000 had not been vaccinated or exempted, but the network has seen a rush of paperwork including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine cards in recent days. The health care network notified employees they face suspension or termination after the Sept, 30 deadline.
“Currently, our teams have been working around the clock to analyze all the data,” Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Ajay Kumar said in a statement Monday. “It is a monumental task as many colleagues came forward just ahead of the deadline with proof of CDC vaccination cards and exemption requests.”
The number of vaccinated workers rose to 99 percent bringing down the number of unvaccinated to approximately 300 who face suspension, Kumar said. “We remain hopeful that people will choose to stay in health care and with Hartford HealthCare.”
Like other health care providers, HHC implemented state and federal mandates requiring all healthcare and nursing home workers be vaccinated or have a bona fide religious or medical exemption and undergo weekly testing.
State workers also faced a deadline Monday and Gov. Ned Lamont has rejected pleas from the unions to extend the deadline a second time. As of Sunday afternoon, 74 percent of executive branch employees had been vaccinated. The administration expected more workers to submit their paperwork Monday.
About 3,000 state employees remained noncompliant with the governor’s order as of Sunday, down from roughly 8,000 who were not complying on Friday. Lamont’s order requires employees to get vaccinated or begin weekly testing.
State employee union leaders have called on Lamont to extend the deadline, saying they had “zero confidence” Lamont’s administration will have accurate numbers by the deadline.
Workers who didn’t comply were to be placed on suspension Tuesday. But Lamont said Monday that workers would get a few more days because of computer slowdowns. The administration “continues to expect that most of the remaining noncompliant employees will submit the requirement documentation” and that there “should be minimal impact to operations as a result.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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