Allegheny Health Network moves forward with vaccination requirement; UPMC, Excela await court ruling

Leaders with UPMC and Excela Health said Thursday they will back off of covid-19 vaccine requirements while the federal mandates are challenged in court, though Allegheny Health Network’s top doctor said the health system’s Jan. 4 vaccine deadline remains firm.

Separate federal mandates affecting both health care workers and workers at other companies with more than 100 employees remain on hold while federal courts hear challenges to the sweeping requirements.

Health care systems in the region had previously pledged their support of the requirements and said they would comply with the mandate. UPMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Donald Yealy said that remains the case.

“UPMC believes that vaccines are an important part of the layers of protection in keeping everyone, whether you work for us or you come to us for care, as safe as possible,” he said. “They’re not the only tool.”

He continued: “We will comply with whatever mandate comes to us after both government and court involvement.”

Yealy said the focus right now is on “educating and encouraging” both employees and community members to get the vaccine.

“We believe everyone eligible should get a vaccine,” he said.

President Joe Biden on Thursday asked businesses to voluntarily comply with the vaccination and testing requirements even while they work their way through the court system, according to CNBC.

A senior administration official told the news outlet that the White House is “asking businesses to step forward and do what’s right to protect our workers and to protect our communities, which is to put in place some sort of vaccination requirement or testing requirements for the workplace.”

A spokesman for Excela Health in Westmoreland County said the health system will follow the injunction.

“Excela Health intends to comply with the nationwide injunction that was issued by a federal court on Tuesday that temporarily placed on hold the covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers,” spokesman Tom Chakurda said in a statement. “Excela Health will not require covid-19 vaccination at this time pending the outcome of any legal challenges.”

The current rate of vaccination among Excela employees was not immediately available.

AHN chief expects Jan. 4 mandate to remain

A mandate for health care workers in Medicare and Medicaid programs was set to go into effect Jan. 4 alongside a requirement for companies with more than 100 employees. The mandates would cover more than 17 million health care workers at more than 76,000 providers nationwide, as well as 84 million other employees across the country.

“The federal mandate is just something that’s a national thing that sort of pushed people to do it,” said Dr. Don Whiting, chief medical officer at AHN. “A federal injunction is likely going to be overturned, and everybody is going to be in the same situation in a week or two anyway.”

He said the health network’s requirement will remain in place with the same Jan. 4 deadline. Among AHN employees, 90% are vaccinated or have an approved exemption. The remaining 10% have either declined so far to provide proof of vaccination or who have exemptions pending approval.

Employees who don’t meet the Jan. 4 deadline will be placed on a two-week leave. After that, Whiting said, they will be considered to have voluntarily resigned.

“This isn’t revolutionary,” he said. “This is really just wanting our patients and our employees to be as safe as they can from covid and leading by example.”