Amid bed shortages, UMass Memorial to set a date for terminating unvaccinated employees

Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO & president, UMass Memorial Health

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By Katherine Hamilton

In a Wednesday town hall meeting, UMass Memorial Health President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson discussed the progression of the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as well as plans to address the region’s bed shortage crisis.

Since announcing a vaccine mandate for all staff in early August, UMass Memorial expects to set a date to begin termination in October, Dickson said.

“At some point, it is highly likely that we will terminate any employee who has not been vaccinated,” Dickson said. “If you’re a clinical worker and you’re not vaccinated, you can’t work at UMass Memorial.”

Right now, unvaccinated employees at UMass Memorial must undergo weekly testing and wear an N-95 mask.

A coming federal mandate requires 100% vaccination of employees at organizations receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding.

An increase in COVID-19 patients is just one of many factors creating a shortage of beds for UMass and other surrounding healthcare facilities.

With no available inpatient beds in any system location, UMass Memorial escalated to phase two of its emergency operations plan last week, but is now back to phase one.

Central Massachusetts currently has the lowest bed-to-population ratio in the state, said Dickson.

UMass is considering converting the recently acquired Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Worcester into inpatient beds, said Dickson. However, the new facility would provide 75 beds, while the region is short 300 beds.

Dickson emphasized the importance of ending the Saint Vincent Hospital administration and its nurses ending the labor strike.

“The first thing we need to do is get those 100 beds at Saint Vincent’s open. Period,” he said.

On Wednesday morning, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty and District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera called upon the CEO of Tenet Healthcare, the Dallas-based parent company of Saint Vincent, to come to Worcester and help resolve the strike.