NBRHC top boss: 'No plans to bring any terminated employees back'

In acknowledging some staffing issues due to the protocols related to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in North Bay Regional Health Centre employees, its president has stated the situation never reached what would be considered a critical level and officials have not considered bringing back staff fired over the hospital's COVID-19 vaccine policy. 

"No, there are no plans to bring any terminated employees back, there is no change to that," confirmed Paul Heinrich.

"As far as I'm concerned, the terminations you've read about are more about non-compliance with policy," Heinrich told media, Friday. "What concerns me is if staff won't comply with policy in one area, what other areas would they decide to make their own choices about?"

NBRHC confirmed earlier this month 18 of their staff of approximately 2,300 had been placed on unpaid leave and are facing a progressive disciplinary process. And, last fall,11 staff members were fired for non-compliance with the policy Heinrich has referred to as a "multi-step vaccination education program and disciplinary warning process," with termination as the final outcome.

See related: Employees fired over vax policy 'made a bad choice' says hospital top boss

In early October 2021, NBRHC implemented and ensured compliance with a COVID-19 vaccination policy for its employees, staff, contractors, volunteers and students. Options for compliance for hospital staff include providing proof of full vaccination, written proof of medical contraindication or participation in weekly rapid antigen testing.

On the NBRHC policy, Heinrich advised Friday, "There are numerous immunizations required for staff that work closely with vulnerable patients in our hospital and I don't see this as any different."

Despite recently reporting 10 per cent of its workforce was off at once, Heinrich maintained "at no time did we reach what we would call a 'critical staffing shortage.'" 

"The province set this up so if there was a totally critical situation — so if we had half of a small department off — continuity of health care services has to go on so we all develop contingency plans."

In such a recall situation, according to the guidance from the Ministry of Health, only asymptomatic high-risk contacts could return to work by donning extra PPE "and a lot of different safety and IPAC things would happen," said Heinrich.

He added such flexibility was necessary for the most critical circumstances in the province and "it was an emergency valve that was required in some places and had to be enacted but at a huge threshold," before doing so.

MPP Vic Fedeli echoed Heinrich's comments, adding "it's a contingency, it's a worst-case scenario, we didn't need it here in North Bay."