Banner, Honor hospitals reporting high employee COVID-19 vaccine compliance

PHOENIX - While there have been protests over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, two major Arizona hospitals are reporting high compliance among their employees.

Banner Health, which is the largest hospital system in Arizona, reported on Nov. 2 that 97% of its 62,000 employees and contracted workers have complied with the policy requiring they receive the vaccine by Nov. 1.

Honor Health says of its 13,000 employees, 95 % are compliant with the vaccine requirement.

StaffDNA, a national healthcare staffing service, was asked whether hospitals with vaccine mandates were undesirable to apply to for travel nurses and other medical staff.

"We’re seeing that a lot of RNs are not being deterred from going to Phoenix and going to Arizona as far as the vaccine mandate that was put into place yesterday," explained Jennifer Pomietlo with the staffing agency. "We see only a small percentage of nurses that are unwilling to get vaccinated at the time."

StaffDNA estimates about 5% of medical workers have been unwilling to get vaccines since mandates have gone into effect.

Staffing shortages among nurses

COVID-19 vaccine mandates could hurt already short-staffed Phoenix hospitals

Staffing shortages might get worse in Phoenix hospitals as COVID-19 vaccine mandates begin to take effect.

Nurses across the country are under great pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are choosing to leave their profession and patients behind, causing hospital staffing shortages in Arizona.

This comes as COVID-19 vaccine mandates have begun to take effect.

Some companies, including Tenet Healthcare, are offering signing bonuses for nurses.

Tenet has a job posting offering an additional $20,000 for new hires.

Many hospitals are also offering bonuses and high paychecks for nurses who agree to relocate.