NY-Presbyterian Requiring Westchester Hospital Staff Vaccinations

CORTLANDT, NY — As vaccination rates among hospital workers hovers just above the state average, officials of the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital network announced that staffers will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by September.

In the Hudson Valley, NewYork-Presbyterian operates Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt, Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, and the Westchester Behavioral Health Center in White Plains.

The hospital network's top officials, CEO Steven J. Corwin, M.D. and COO Laura L. Forese, M.D., wrote to employees last week about the mandate.

The stakes in this matter are high, and the evidence is clear that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the most important and responsible action we can take as NYP team members for the safety and well-being of our patients and visitors, our communities, and ourselves.

In light of this evidence, NewYork-Presbyterian will be requiring all employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or to obtain a valid exemption. This will be in addition to our existing vaccination requirements against influenza, measles, rubella, and varicella – all of which are already required to keep our patients and fellow workers safe. As a leading health care organization, we believe it is essential to require vaccinations to protect our patients and ourselves against the threat of further harm from the pandemic and the possibility of more dangerous mutations.

Statewide, the vaccination rate among hospital workers was 73 percent as of Wednesday, compared to 70.6 percent for the general population aged 18 and older as of Friday, according to the New York State Vaccine Tracker. Hospital worker coronavirus vaccination rates are uneven from county to county, including in the Hudson Valley: