Hospital to stop delivering babies as maternity workers resign over vaccine mandate
LOWVILLE, NY (WWNY) — Lewis County General Hospital will stop delivering babies after September 24 because too many maternity unit workers have resigned over COVID vaccination mandates.
That’s according to Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cayer, who held a news conference Friday in Lowville.
He said 6 employees in the maternity unit resigned rather than get a COVID shot and another 7 are undecided.
According to Cayer, the hospital will be unable to safely staff the unit and will pause delivering babies after September 24.
He said he hopes this is a temporary situation and will work with the state Department of Health to make sure the unit won’t permanently close.
“If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County,” said Cayer.
Cayer said 165 hospital employees have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19; that’s 27 percent of the workforce.
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