Rome Health drops vaccine mandate for employees

ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health no longer requires vaccination for COVID-19 as a condition of employment and will begin inviting back employees that left due to the mandate.

After the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in early May that it would end vaccination requirements for health-care facilities, the New York State Department of Health notified hospitals on May 24 that it would no longer enforce the regulation and work to repeal it.

“With these federal and state actions, we anticipate that the mandate will be repealed by the Department of Health as recommended,” Rome Health’s director of infection prevention, M. Katie Friot, said in a press release. “As a result, the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer mandatory for employees of Rome Health.”

The health-care facility made the decision to forgo waiting for the final ruling of the repeal in conjunction with its affiliate partner, St. Joseph’s Health and Trinity of New York, Friot noted.

“Rome Health will begin inviting colleagues who left due to the New York state vaccine mandate to consider returning to open positions,” Friot said. “We will also reach out to recent job candidates who declined offers due to the mandate.”

Rome Health noted it still recommends employees receive the vaccine.