A second health care system in Pennsylvania acknowledged that it had given the COVID-19 vaccine to family members of employees, but said it had discontinued the program after discussions with the Department of Health.
The University of Pennsylvania health system said its Chester County hospital has a ‘lottery system’ for family members of employees who otherwise meet state requirements.
“Based on this week’s guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Chester County Hospital has discontinued this practice,” Patrick Norton, Penn Medicine’s vice president of public affairs, said in a written statement in response to inquiries from The Associated Press. .
Additional details about Chester County Hospital’s lottery program, including how it worked and how many employees’ family members were vaccinated under it, were not immediately available Friday.
“We continue to protect as many individuals as possible while following all applicable guidelines,” Norton said.
Earlier this week, another major health network, Geisinger, acknowledged that it had enabled the relatives of employees to skip the COVID-19 vaccine line, with three weekend clinics allowing Geisinger employees to raise up to two family members for as long as they are eligible under the vaccination phase in the state.
The state health department said Geisinger, which has facilities in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, should not have set aside vaccine for family members of employees. The agency threatened to withhold Geisinger’s award of the first vaccine doses. Geisinger insisted that it follow state guidelines for vaccination.
About 3600 family members of Geisinger employees were vaccinated under the program. No additional family member vaccination clinics for employees have been scheduled.