NY to Replace Non-Compliant Healthcare Workers with National Guard: Will LEOs Be Replaced Next?

During an already existing healthcare worker shortage, New York seems to be determined to make a bad situation worse.

New York’s mandate requiring inoculation of all health care workers went into full effect on September 27. New York’s mandate (one of the most strict nationwide) allows no option to test weekly in place of inoculation and no religious exemptions. [source] Along with that mandate comes the very real likelihood that tens of thousands of health care workers could lose their jobs.

But New York’s governor had a “great idea.” Why not replace the ousted medical staff with National Guard members? Gee. That sounds like an idea that could really catch on and seed troops across the entire country in positions of authority to fill in for the non-compliant.

NY Governor to use National Guard troops to replace fired staff

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on September 27 declaring a statewide emergency to manage predicted shortages. The Governor’s order authorizes state authorities to fill the void with any licensed, out-of-state health care professionals from elsewhere in the U.S. to work in New York.

Reportedly, the state of New York is considering using medically trained National Guard troops to lessen the blow caused by the expected shortages. Furthermore, Hochul will possibly look into “recruiting temporary workers from the Philippines or Ireland.” Some New York hospitals will also employ “emergency staffing plans that they typically reserve for natural disasters,” such as filling vacancies with volunteers, students, and retirees. How are New York medical centers dealing with the looming crisis?

Many New York hospitals and medical centers have already let go of staff members who have refused the medical procedure. They have also begun to suspend elective medical procedures to lighten the load for short-staffed centers. Furthermore, some have decided not to take patients in need of intensive care from other hospitals.

Northwell, New York’s largest private hospital system, confirmed that it let go “a few hundred employees.” Similarly, Erie County Medical Center Corporation (Buffalo) said roughly 7% of the workforce was on administrative leave for failing to comply with the mandate. Albany Medical Center also reports suspending 204 employees.

Lewis County General Hospital announced it would no longer be delivering babies because too many staff members quit.