A second Pennsylvania health care system acknowledged that it gave the employees’ relatives the COVID-19 vaccine, but said it suspended the program after discussions with the state Department of Health.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System said that Chester County Hospital administered a “lottery system” for family members of employees who otherwise met the state’s eligibility requirements.
“Based on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s guidance on this issue this week, Chester County Hospital discontinued this practice,” said Patrick Norton, vice president of public relations at Penn Medicine, in a written statement provided in response to inquiries. The Associated Press.
Additional details about Chester County Hospital’s lottery program, including how it worked and how many family members of staff were vaccinated under it, were not available immediately on Friday.
“We continue our commitment to protecting as many individuals as possible, while following all applicable eligibility guidelines,” said Norton.
Earlier this week, another major healthcare chain, Geisinger, acknowledged that it had allowed employees’ family members to skip the COVID-19 vaccine line, by maintaining three weekend clinics where Geisinger employees could bring up to two members of the family since they were eligible to launch phased vaccines.
The state Department of Health said Geisinger, who has facilities in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, should not have reserved the vaccine for relatives of employees. The agency threatened to suspend Geisinger’s distribution of the first doses of the vaccine. Geisinger insisted that he followed state guidelines for vaccine eligibility.
About 3,600 relatives of Geisinger employees have been vaccinated with the program. No additional vaccine clinics are scheduled for members of the employee family.