Tenney urges Hochul to drop vaccine mandate for hospitals

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-22, New Hartford, sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking that she immediately rescind her vaccine mandate, which has created a labor crisis that is pushing hospitals across New York to the brink, notes a statement from Tenney’s congressional office.

Tenney highlighted problems caused recently by forced layoffs at the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS), in large part due to the governor’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. MVHS announced last week that the National Guard and paramedics are being called upon to fill critical staffing gaps, according to a release.

In a portion of her letter, Tenney writes, “I strongly hope you will consider the stories coming directly from healthcare workers on the ground, who are seeing the horrific impacts of your mandate, and ultimately take action to reverse it. New Yorkers need our courageous healthcare heroes now more than ever. Our healthcare heroes must not be portrayed as villains after serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic for nearly a year before any vaccine ever became widely available.”