Many Brooklyn hospital employees comply with vaccine mandate
By Nelson A. King
Top executives at One Brooklyn
Health System, Inc. (OBHS)
and SUNY Downstate Medical
Center and University Hospital
of Brooklyn say that the overwhelming
majority of employees
are in compliance with the
New York State mandate that
they be vaccinated against the
COVID-19 virus.
LaRay Brown, chief executive
officer of OBHS, and Dawn
Skeete-Walker, vice president
for communications and marketing
at SUNY Downstate,
told Caribbean Life in exclusive,
separate interviews that
the institutions continue to
strictly follow State protocol.
OBHS is a not-for-profit, taxexempt
corporation licensed
under Article 28 of the Public
Health Law. OBHS is the
NYS Department of Health
approved co-operator of Brookdale
University Hospital Medical
Center, Interfaith Medical
Center and Kingsbrook Jewish
Medical Center.
In addition to the three
hospitals, OBHS serves Central
and Northeast Brooklyn,
comprising 12 ambulatory care
centers, two nursing homes, an
assisted living and independent
living facility, a transitional
housing program, an urgent
care center and a retail pharmacy.
As of Nov. 1, Brown said 94
percent of 7, 050 staffers at
OBHS were vaccinated.
She said 362 staffers currently
have medical and religious
exceptions, and Leave of
Absence. Of that number, 23
have medical exception, 191
religious exception, and 148
Leave of Absence.
Brown also said that 6,625
employees have had at least
their first dose of the COVID-19
vaccine, as of Nov. 1: 488 CIR
employees (Council of Interns
and Residents – the union that
represents physicians in training);
3, 553 employees in 1199
Union; 1,034 nurses; 1, 434
non-union employees; and 116
Security employees.
The chief executive officer
said 63 non-vaccinated staffers
have been separated from
employment, as of Nov. 1, of
which five are CIR, 31 from
1199 Union, 12 nurses, 14 nonunion,
and one security.
“We work with unions to
make sure you are informed,”
said Brown, referring to
employees. “People had concerns.
Caribbean L 6 ife, NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021
Our goal is to make sure
staffs are safe. Our goal was not
for anybody to lose their jobs.
“We have vaccination pods
across campus,” she added.
“We have vaccination pods that
operate on weekends.”
Brown said when employees
on Leave of Absence return to
work, they “will have to be vaccinated
and given two weeks”
to do so.
“If they come back to work,
they are expected to be vaccinated,”
she stressed, stating
that, if they refuse, the institution
will have no choice but to
let them go.
Brown said OBHS allowed
employees with religious
exceptions to remain on the
job pending the outcome of
court cases.
But she said employees with
religious and medical exemptions
must be tested once per
week.
“The entire purpose is to
ensure that people working are
safe,” said Brown, adding that,
“at the same time, for people
in the general community,
there’s a moral obligation for
health care providers to be vaccinated.”
After the State issued the
mandate for health care providers
to be vaccinated, Brown
said there has been “a significant
uptake of staff who agreed
to be vaccinated.
“So, clearly, the mandate
works,” she said. “COVID-19
has been so politicized; and
there’s so much misinformation
out there, despite the science
(in favor of vaccination).
So, I’m heartened that so many
of our staff agreed to be vaccinated.”
LaRay Brown, chief executive offi cer, One Brooklyn Health
System, Inc. Justin Persaud
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