By Glenn Rolfe

There has been no negative impact on staffing at two Downstate hospital systems after COVID-19 vaccines were federally mandated for caregivers, while ChristianaCare, based in Newark, has felt minimal effect, despite the loss of about 150 employees.

“In July 2021, ChristianaCare announced that it would require all caregivers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We took this important step to protect the safety of our patients, caregivers and community,” said ChristianaCare chief people officer Dr. Neil Jasani.

“All ChristianaCare employees are considered caregivers. As we anticipated, a very small number of caregivers — approximately 150 out of more than 13,000 caregivers — chose not to be vaccinated and left the organization.”

In December 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that, by Jan. 27, eligible health care providers must put in place a COVID-19 vaccination policy, with all staff having received at least one dose of a vaccine, a pending or approved qualifying exemption or a temporary delay as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By Feb. 28, these facilities must also have had entire staffs fully vaccinated, approved for an exemption or recognized as having a CDC-recommended delay. A completed vaccine series was defined as one dose of a single-dose vaccine or two doses of a multiple-dose regimen, with no mention of booster shots.

Delaware is one of 25 states and territories unaffected by court proceedings and legal stays after the mandate.

Beebe Healthcare president and CEO Dr. David Tam said Beebe has worked diligently to meet CMS requirements.

“As president and CEO, I’m extremely proud of everything Beebe Healthcare has accomplished as we move out of the crisis phase,” he said. “While this mandate was not our decision, Beebe must do this so we can continue to care for Sussex County. We have worked very closely with a small number of team members to come into compliance with the CMS requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Dr. Tam did not elaborate on any specific staffing status, but he said he fully expects Beebe to continue to meet benchmarks.

“We are very pleased with our compliance rates, as Beebe fully supports vaccination and the booster as the best way to avoid hospitalization and death from COVID,” Dr. Tam said. “Beebe continues to follow science and the law, as we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are actively working with the very small group of team members (less than 1%).”

The policy at TidalHealth, which has hospitals in Seaford and Salisbury, Maryland, is to not divulge any vaccination data on employees.

“TidalHealth’s practice is not to share specific vaccination information about any of our team members,” said spokesman Roger Follebout. “The vaccination mandate, though, had no significant impact on staffing levels across the health system, including our hospitals in Seaford and Salisbury.”

A request for information sent to Bayhealth on Thursday received no response through Friday afternoon.

There is short-term flexibility regarding the vaccines. According to the CMS guidance issued in December, a facility that was above 80% vaccinated by Feb. 28, with a plan to achieve 100% within 60 days, would not be subject to additional enforcement.

However, failure to comply with the health care worker vaccine mandate can result in termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the guidance stated.

In September 2021, ChristianaCare announced the loss of 150 employees who did not fulfill the health system’s vaccine requirement, implemented before the federal one was.

ChristianaCare’s mandate required all its caregivers to receive the first dose of a two-dose vaccine or the single-dose inoculation by Sept. 21, 2021. In a statement that month, Dr. Janice Nevin, the system’s president and CEO, said approximately 200 employees received religious or medical exemptions.

The employees let go by ChristianaCare included fewer than 90 who were classified as full time, Dr. Nevin said. Of these, she said, less than 48 provided direct patient care, and fewer than 12 were nurses.

ChristianaCare defines all employees as caregivers, regardless of their type of work: dental staff, residents, students, contracted employees, temporary labor, volunteers and vendors.

“The experiences of the past few months have demonstrated that vaccinating our workforce was a significant contributor to the health and safety of our patients and our caregivers during these challenging times. This has been affirmed by our continued national recognition for quality and safety, including our recognition for the second year in a row as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades,” said Dr. Jasani.

“Vaccination continues to be the most important step that everyone can take to protect each other and reduce the spread of COVID-19.”