New York City’s mental health personnel must be vaccinated against Covid-19 or risk losing their jobs.
Workers in psychiatric facilities in the state’s Office of Mental Health network, as well as those working at hospitals recognized by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, will be subject to the new obligation starting in November. During a press conference in Albany today, Gov. Kathy Hochul revealed the new mandate.
Covid vaccines must be administered to workers affected by the new rule by Nov. 1. There is no choice but to take the picture.
Personnel in New York’s Office of Mental Health and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities are exempt from the state’s new vaccine requirement for hospital and nursing facility workers.
Unvaccinated workers were previously required to undergo weekly testing, which began Oct. 12.
There is still a week to go until the new vaccine mandate goes into effect, according to Hochul’s announcement today.
Additional mandates for staff at adult care institutions will go into force on Thursday, as previously announced. These workers must have received their first dose by then.
Employees of long-term home health care programs, AIDS-focused hospices, and diagnostic and treatment facilities are also affected by the Oct. 7 deadline.
On Monday, 92% of those employees had complied with the order, up from 77% in late August.
According to Hochul: “We’re already off to a good start. As a result of these deadlines, we’re seeing that the mind is able to focus on doing the proper thing.”
The vaccine obligation will soon be extended to human service and mental health care facilities, according to Hochul’s administration.
Hochul wants clinicians to sign up now so that they may begin distributing Covid vaccinations to infants and toddlers as soon as possible. She expressed optimism that injections for children under the age of 12 will soon be approved.
There is a greater sense of trust when it comes to the doctor’s office, she said.
Hochul also hopes that Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients will soon be able to receive booster injections. So far, New York has given out 303,000 boosters.
Only those Pfizer users who received their vaccines at least six months ago are currently eligible for this benefit. People over 65, with preexisting ailments, or who work in particular jobs or live in certain locations are currently eligible for the program.
“It’s great that there’s a lot of interest in these booster shots,” Hochul added. At some point, “I’d like to see it recommended to everybody.”