A second Pennsylvania health care system has acknowledged that it gave the COVID-19 vaccine to family members of employees, but said it stopped the program after discussions with the state Department of Health.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System said its Chester County hospital had a “lottery system” for family members of employees who otherwise met state eligibility requirements. .
“Based on guidelines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health on this issue this week, Chester County Hospital has discontinued this practice,” Patrick Norton, vice president of public affairs at Penn Medicine, said in a written statement in response. in The Associated Press consultations. .
No additional details were immediately obtained on Friday about the lottery program at Chester County Hospital, including its operation and the number of family members of employees who were vaccinated.
“We continue our commitment to protect as many people as possible by following all applicable eligibility guidelines,” Norton said.
Earlier this week, another major health network, Geisinger, acknowledged that it had allowed employees ’family members to skip the COVID-19 vaccine line, with three weekend clinics allowing employees to Geisinger carried up to two family members as long as they were eligible according to the state’s gradual release of vaccines.
The state health department said Geisinger, which has facilities in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, should not have reserved the vaccine for employees’ relatives. The agency threatened to withhold Geisinger’s assignment of the first vaccine doses. Geisinger insisted he was following state guidelines for vaccine eligibility.
About 3,600 relatives of Geisinger employees were vaccinated under the program. No additional vaccine clinics are scheduled for employees ’family members.