Nearly 1,500 Hamilton hospital staff risk losing their jobs over COVID shots
Nearly 1,500 hospital staff and physicians are unvaccinated against COVID in Hamilton and potentially face termination after November.
The stricter staff vaccine policies come as Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and St. Joseph's Healthcare already have hundreds of unfilled jobs between them.
It's also at the same time that the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has warned that burnout has increased over the pandemic to levels that pose a threat to maintaining a functioning health-care workforce."
Health worker burnout is now threatening Ontario's overall health workforce, and will probably outlast the pandemic," the science table said in a tweet Tuesday. Ontario needs to pay particular attention to those most at risk of burnout: nurses, ICU and emerg staff, women, recent graduates and trainees. Even small changes have big effects on patient safety, absenteeism and mental health."
As of Oct. 12, roughly 382 of St. Joseph's 5,878 staff and physicians are unvaccinated, have refused to provide their status or have medical or religious exemptions. Those without exemptions face disciplinary measures up to and including dismissal once mandatory vaccination comes into force in November.
A further 118 St. Joseph's staff have had one COVID shot and need to get their second dose.
St. Joseph's hasn't provided an exact date for its mandatory vaccination policy to take effect. At HHS, it goes into force Nov. 30.
HHS has about 680 unvaccinated staff and physicians, as well as 400 more who have refused to reveal their status, for a total of nearly 1,100 holdouts out of a workforce of around 13,250.
CEO Rob MacIsaac dismissed concerns the vaccine mandate will exacerbate existing staff shortages, saying HHS will be prudent" about how it implements the policy.
There is no doubt you can maintain continuity of operations while enforcing a mandatory vaccination policy and that has been borne out in other hospitals in the province," he said in a staff town hall Oct. 7.
About 40 per cent of Ontario's hospitals have already brought in stricter measures than the minimum required by the province - disclosure of vaccine status as well as education and regular testing for the unvaccinated.
For now, HHS and St. Joseph's both have that bare-minimum policy in place before getting tougher next month.
HHS, which is the city's largest employer, already started rolling out discipline last week to those who won't disclose, get education or do the testing.
The Ontario's Nurses' Association (ONA) has said in a policy statement that it doesn't support penalizing and terminating nurses when we need them the most."
The science table's brief published Oct. 7 concluded the COVID-19 pandemic has created a cycle of understaffing alongside difficult work conditions which can drive burnout. Robust interventions to bolster individuals, improve work environments and address health system drivers of burnout are important to maintain and support hospital-based health-care workers."
It also cautioned: Organizations need to ensure adequate staffing through ongoing evaluation of workload including mitigation of data entry and administrative burdens, efforts to reduce overtime and avoid long shifts, and staff deployment in areas where they lack training."
HHS alone had 280 vacancies as of Aug. 31, including 150 nursing jobs. At times over the pandemic, HHS has had postings for almost 300 nurses.
However, two outbreaks in the last two weeks have shown that Hamilton's hospitals are still vulnerable to COVID.
An outbreak declared Oct. 9 closed a kidney unit at St. Joseph's to new admissions after two patients and one visitor tested positive.
A deadly outbreak in the burn trauma unit at Hamilton General Hospital saw seven staff and one patient infected since Sept. 27. The outbreak, where one person died, was declared over Oct. 10.
The province has already brought in mandatory vaccination for staff in long-term-care homes starting Nov. 15.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health is focusing next on hospitals, home care, independent health facilities and ambulance services. After that, Dr. Kieran Moore will set his sights on education workers.
Of Hamilton's 12 active outbreaks, seven are in schools including a new one declared Oct. 9 at Holbrook Elementary School on the west Mountain where two students tested positive.
A new outbreak was also declared Oct. 10 at group home Christian Horizons on West 5th Street, where two staff were infected.
PJ Daly Contracting Ltd. had an outbreak declared Oct. 8 after two staff tested positive.
Hamilton is one of only four public health units in the province to have fewer than 80 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated. It also has Ontario's sixth-highest COVID rate.
The city reported Tuesday the death of a resident in their 60s with COVID, bringing the pandemic toll to 416.
Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com