Hospital offers cash bonus to convince employees to get COVID-19 shots

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Houston Methodist has announced in a letter to its employees that a $500 bonus will be paid out provided they agree to be vaccinated.
• According to reports from ABC News, the cash incentive named “Hope Bonus” is also deemed by the hospital’s president and CEO Marc Boom a thank you gift to the staff for all their efforts during the pandemic.
• The Texas hospital counts as one among other health systems in the country having problems persuading their employees to get vaccinated in order to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 outbreaks.

A $500 bonus is given to employees of a Houston hospital as long as they get themselves vaccinated for the novel coronavirus.

The incentive comes as health systems across the U.S. are faced with difficulties in trying to convince health workers to receive the vaccine in their bid to help mitigate risks of COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals, ABC News reported.

Houston Methodist is among those facilities that plans to dole out the cash gift called “Hope Bonus” provided they meet the criteria.

CEO Marc Boom sent an email, obtained by ABC News, to hospital employees saying the bonus will also serve as a thank you for all their hard work during the pandemic.

“This bonus is a thank you for your perseverance throughout a difficult 2020, as well as something to look forward to, to provide hope, during the next couple of challenging months,” wrote Boom in his letter.

“Eligibility criteria will include getting a COVID-19 vaccination, fulfilling our obligation as health care workers to lead the community.”

Similarly, a government-run Northampton County, Pa., nursing home is willing to do the same where employees will reportedly get $750 for being vaccinated.

Despite Houston being hit hard with the pandemic, some health workers still refused taking a vaccine. In fact, hundreds have no plans whatsoever to receive the vaccine, according to a survey of about 6,000 workers at Jackson Health System in Miami, Fla., reported by The New York Times. The same response was also reported by thousands of employees at a Michigan company that runs six hospitals in the state.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure confirmed to ABC News that they were told to expect a great deal of resistance among the employees to getting the vaccines.  

Meanwhile, other health care systems have taken a more aggressive approach to make sure their employees are vaccinated before patients. Long-term elderly care homes Atria Senior Living and Juniper Communities told the Times that employees who resist vaccinations will be terminated.

““For us, this was not a tough decision. Our goal is to do everything possible to protect our residents and our team members and their families,” said Juniper’s CEO, Lynne Katzmann.  

So far on Thursday,  a CDC tracker showed that of the 29 million doses distributed, a little bit over 10.2 million Americans have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Source: The Hill