On Monday, Aug. 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, LVHN’s COVID-19 vaccination policy will take effect Tuesday, Aug. 24. All new contract starts effective Sept 9th must have a completed vaccine series.  All existing LVHN non-employed partners must complete the vaccine series by Oct. 19. Those who are not vaccinated by Oct. 19 will not be permitted to work or conduct business inside an LVHN facility.

HealthTrust Workforce Solutions is excited to share some upcoming changes to the way we onboard Vendor Partner Candidates for HCA! These changes will allow for quicker initiation speeds, proactive and improved communication, and ultimately result in expedited processing to Full Placement.   

Albany Medical Center recently announced that they are requiring all employees and contractors, both clinical and non-clinical, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. All individuals must be fully vaccinated by October 1st, 2021. If booster shots are deemed necessary, they will be required at the appropriate time. Exemptions and deferrals may be approved on a limited basis. Any contractor who does not receive an exemption or deferral or show proof of vaccination may not continue their assignment past September 30th, 2021.

The economy began the second half of the year with strong momentum, with the July 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Hiring Situation reporting that 943,000 new jobs were created last month. The gains were the largest seen in nearly a year and the unemployment rate ticked down to 5.6%, a 16-month low.

Healthcare added 36,800 jobs in July. Job gains in ambulatory health care services (31,900) and hospitals (18,300) than offset a loss of 13,400 jobs in nursing and residential care facilities. Healthcare employment remains down by 502,000 since February 2020.

Recently, the California Department of Public Health issued a new state-wide public health order that will require nearly everyone in the hospital – from employees to physicians and vendors – to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or to be tested twice a week. The order goes into effect Monday, August 9, 2021, and exempts hospital patients and their visitors.

As many have heard, HCA Healthcare is in the process of divesting Eastside Medical Center (Main and South Campus, Cartersville Medical Center and Coliseum Medical Center (Main and Northside Campus) to Piedmont Healthcare effective August 1, 2021. 

Dear Valued Partners,

Mercy Health System has made the decision to begin requiring full vaccination against COVID-19 for all current and future co-workers and/or contractors who serve and work in their facilities. As such, effective Thursday, September 30, 2021, all travelers and/or local contractors working in their facilities must be fully vaccinated to continue to work. If your travelers/contractors have not yet been vaccinated, please schedule now to ensure you may continue to work at or begin assignments at Mercy Health System's facilities. A copy of the contractor's vaccination card will suffice for verification of this requirement. 

As we head into the holiday weekend, HealthTrust Workforce Solutions would like to wish you all the best for a great holiday and a Happy 4th of July! This 4th of July, we would like to honor those who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives for the freedom that our nation enjoys today. We are thankful for the commitment that has been and continues to be made for our nation as we strive for a better tomorrow. 

HealthTrust Workforce Solutions is committed to operational excellence and making it easier to do business within our MSP program. We thank our partners who take the time to provide us with valuable feedback about our program, be it constructive or complimentary. Here is a comment from one of our partners who shared their experience with us.

The May 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Hiring Situation Report showed moderate job gains last month, recording a job growth of 559,000 jobs. The smaller gains are reportedly a result of ongoing labor shortages as the economy reopens. The unemployment rate edged down from 6.1% in April to 5.8% in May, it's lowest since the pandemic shuttered businesses in March 2020.  According to the U.S. Labor Department, job openings reached a record level of 8.1 million at the end of March, reflecting a widening labor shortage.

In May 22,500 new jobs were gained within healthcare, primarily within ambulatory care settings (22.5K). Hospital payrolls grew by 2,900 and nursing and residential care facilities lost 2,400 jobs last month.  The unemployment rate for healthcare stands at 3.1% and at 2.2% within hospitals.  Compared with February 2020, healthcare employment is down by 508,000.