Kaiser Permanente Puts 2,200 Unvaccinated Employees on Unpaid Leave Nationwide

Kaiser Permanente, 1 of the largest wellness attraction systems successful the United States, has placed astir 2,200 unvaccinated employees connected unpaid leave nationwide due to the fact that of the company’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.

The employees who were suspended correspond much than 1 percent of the firm’s workforce arsenic the institution employs astir 216,000 radical nationwide. They person until Dec. 1 to beryllium vaccinated successful bid to instrumentality to work, the steadfast said successful an Oct. 5 statement.

“More than 92 percent of our employees person been vaccinated—and the fig continues to grow,” Kaiser stated, adding that arsenic of Oct. 4, employees who person “not responded to our vaccine requirement” were placed connected unpaid administrative leave.

“We anticipation nary of our employees volition take to permission their jobs alternatively than beryllium vaccinated, but we won’t cognize with certainty until then,” the Oakland, California-based institution stated. “We volition proceed to enactment with this radical of employees to allay concerns and amended them astir the vaccines, their benefits, and risks.”

Several different ample infirmary systems person issued akin directives successful caller days.

On Oct. 4, New York-based Northwell Health announced it had terminated 1,400 workers because they didn’t person the COVID-19 vaccine, coming arsenic a mandate issued by the New York governor’s bureau came into effect for wellness attraction workers.

California’s front-line wellness attraction workers held simultaneous protests against the government’s mandatory vaccination bid astatine Kaiser Permanente-Riverside Medical Center successful Riverside, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2021.  (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

“Northwell believes that having a afloat vaccinated workforce is an important measurement successful our work to support the wellness and information of our staff, our patients, and the communities we serve,” the wellness attraction strategy stated. “This allows america to proceed to supply exceptional attraction astatine each of our facilities, without interruption and stay unfastened and afloat operational.”

While it “regrets losing immoderate worker nether specified circumstances,” Northwell argued that it owes “it to our staff, our patients, and the communities we service to beryllium 100 percent vaccinated against COVID-19.”

A infirmary strategy that serves 4 states successful the southeastern United States said successful precocious September it terminated much than 100 employees implicit its vaccine mandate.

“They volition person an accidental to comply implicit a five-day, unpaid suspension period,” North Carolina-based Novant Health stated, announcing that 175 workers were fired. “If a squad subordinate remains non-compliant aft this suspension period, helium oregon she volition person their employment with Novant Health terminated.”

At United Airlines, astir 96 percent of employees person been vaccinated nether a mandate. About 3 percent sought an exemption, and less than 1 percent volition beryllium fired, the institution has stated.

Kaiser Permanente officials didn’t instantly respond to a petition by The Epoch Times for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.