A second Pennsylvania health system has acknowledged that it has given the COVID-19 vaccine to family members of employees, but said it was discontinuing the program after discussions with the State Department of Health.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System said Chester County Hospital had a “ lottery system ” for relatives of employees who otherwise met the state’s entry requirements.
“Based on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s guidelines on this matter this week, Chester County Hospital has discontinued this practice,” said Patrick Norton, Penn Medicine’s vice president for public affairs, in a written statement in response to questions from The. Associated Press.
Additional details about Chester County Hospital’s lottery program, including how it worked and how many family members of employees under it had been vaccinated, were not immediately available Friday.
“We remain committed to protecting as many people as possible while following all applicable eligibility guidelines,” said Norton.
Earlier this week, another major health network, Geisinger, acknowledged that it had allowed family members of employees to skip the COVID-19 vaccination line, with three weekend clinics where Geisinger employees were allowed to raise up to two family members, as long as they were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination line. phased introduction of vaccines by the state.
The Department of Health said Geisinger, which has facilities in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, should not have set aside a vaccine for employees’ family members. The agency threatened to withhold Geisinger’s allocation of first vaccine doses. Geisinger insisted it followed state guidelines to qualify for vaccines.
About 3,600 family members of Geisinger employees were vaccinated under the program. No additional vaccination clinics for family members of employees are planned.