America's Largest Catholic Newspaper
On Aug. 5, ArchCare, the Archdiocese of New York’s health care system that cares daily for more than 9,000 seniors, the poor and persons with special needs, is implementing a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all 5,000 ArchCare employees, including office and administrative staff members.
The Covid vaccination requirement at ArchCare is already a term of employment for new employees throughout the organization and employees of the Specialty Hospital at ArchCare at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center, which treats young children who are currently ineligible for vaccination.
The deadline for full vaccination and completion of the second dose is Oct. 1, 2021. ArchCare’s current staff vaccination rate is at 85 percent.
“Our chief concern is the health and well-being of our vulnerable community of elders who we serve in our homes and programs. It is critically important for our entire staff to be vaccinated,” said Scott LaRue, ArchCare’s president and chief executive officer. “As the first provider of long-term and elder care in New York to implement a vaccination mandate, we hope to encourage more of our neighbor organizations to do the same.”
“After not having any cases for a couple of months, we are now beginning to see employees again test positive for the virus, which is typically a harbinger of future infections among residents,” La Rue added. “Our system has significantly invested in technology, staff and training to position ourselves as the leader in infection control and prevention in the post-acute environment. As health care workers, we are also ethically and professionally obligated to prevent spreading Covid-19 to our residents and participants, and to each other.”
