Brooklyn, N.Y.-based SUNY Downstate Medical Center postponed some nonemergency procedures and moved outpatient surgeries after the state's COVID-19 vaccination mandate amplified staffing shortages, according to a recent Gothamist report.
Since the mandate took effect Sept. 27, the center has postponed radiology appointments and canceled elective C-sections and inductions for pregnant patients, according to the Gothamist.
The center also shifted outpatient surgeries from its Bay Ridge campus to its main campus.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center was experiencing staffing issues before the pandemic, union officials told Gothamist. After the mandate took effect, the hospital took 221 unvaccinated employees off duty —around 5.5 percent of the center's total workforce.