Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), which runs two of Kingston’s main hospitals, says its COVID-19 vaccination policy has led to the termination of 31 employees.
Following a request from Global News, the hospital organization said that all staff who were put on leave for refusing to be vaccinated were given the final deadline of Nov. 5 to show proof of an exemption or agree to get their shots.
During a virtual meeting that day, KHSC says those staff members were given one last chance to commit to vaccination within 48 hours.
In the end, nine full-time staff members and 22 part-time employees across various occupations and departments were terminated.
KHSC said 19 of those workers were care providers while 12 worked in support services. The employees who lost their jobs due to the vaccination policy represented about 0.6 per cent of the staff.
“While we acknowledge that the decision to be vaccinated can be complex for some individuals, we believe these employees were provided ample time to consider their vaccination decision once KHSC announced its mandatory vaccination policy on Sept. 7,” KHSC said.
The employees had been on an unpaid leave of absence since Sept. 22 for failing to show proof of vaccination. The hospital organization said that it remains steadfast to requiring vaccinations of its staff.
“As the largest acute care hospital in the South East that cares for extremely vulnerable and often immune-compromised patients, we have an ethical and professional obligation to keep patients, staff and designated visitors safe from COVID-19,” KHSC said.
Just this week, Dr. David Pichora, president and CEO of KHSC, pleaded with the local community to do their part to keep COVID-19 rates lower as local hospitals struggled under the weight of people needing acute and critical care.
Pichora said KHSC has twice in recent weeks had to send patients to other hospitals due to a lack of space. As of Wednesday, KHSC says it’s treating 15 COVID-19-positive patients. But Pichora said the hospital is also dealing with a record-number of patients seeking non-COVID-related care.
Despite losing more than 30 employees due to the vaccination policy, KHSC said during their more than two-month absence, hospitals have had time to adjust to the vacancies.
As of Wednesday, 99.6 per cent of KHSC’s more than 5,300 employees are fully vaccinated, while the rest are partially vaccinated.
“We are grateful to our staff and physicians for their continuing hard work in the face of this relentless pandemic and for their dedication to the health and safety of patients, families and each other,” KHSC said.