by Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, President & CEO

Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH

In late July, we made a commitment to put the safety of our caregivers and our patients first by requiring COVID-19 vaccination for everyone who works at ChristianaCare by September 21, 2021. Our organization has taken this important step to protect the safety of our caregivers, patients and community.

As we anticipated, a small number of caregivers chose not to be vaccinated and have left the organization. Separations for non-compliance with our vaccination policy resulted in the loss of approximately 150 employees, the equivalent of fewer than 90 full-time employees. Of these, fewer than 48 FTEs (full-time equivalents) provided direct patient care, and fewer than 12 FTEs were nurses. Approximately 200 caregivers have received religious or medical accommodations, and in addition to masking, these caregivers will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.

In the last month, our ongoing focus on workforce resulted in hiring more than 200 caregivers, including more than 160 positions that provide direct patient care. These new caregivers join an organization in which they can be confident that their colleagues are vaccinated and that their organization is a leader in COVID-19 safety.

We thank everyone who has made the decision to be vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is a service to others – especially our health care workers, who continue to battle COVID-19 daily as we meet the health care needs of our community. Vaccination continues to be our path not only to protect each other—but to ultimately reduce the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic.

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