Early Tuesday, 180 employees of the Mohawk Valley Health System left the workplace due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, prompting the health care system's chief to warn of disruptions and delays in area services.

Mohawk Valley Health System CEO Darlene Stromstad said the employee vacancy rate at Mohawk Valley Health Systems (MVHS) had jumped to 17.5%.

"Please be prepared for waits, for phone calls that don't get returned right away, for delays in service," Stromstad said. "If you have to go to the hospital or ER, please do."

She said the industry has been struggling with an increase in retirements, employee burn out and anxiety over coming in during the pandemic and challenges posed by nurses who chose to travel.

"It is an ongoing, competitive situation that, I think, all hospitals in this region are finding themselves in, not just in this region, but across the country, and it is simply not sustainable," Stromstad said.

Members of the community who rely on MVHS' services should expect longer wait times, and call their physicians before coming in for care, if possible.

Stromstad said services at the lab site at 86 Genesee St., will temporarily pause, and hours at the lab at the Saint-Elizabeth campus were being reduced.

Also, the Sleep Center and Long-Term Care facilities will continue servicing current patients, but not accept new ones.

"We are prioritizing our patients first, administrative staff and others second, certainly," Stromstad said. "When it comes to ancillary services, food services, etcetera, our patients take all the priority."

In addition to the lost employees, Stromstad said more than 100 other employees requested religious accommodations and will be work until Oct. 12. That's when Stromstad expects to get more guidance from the state concerning the accommodations.

The CEO said unvaccinated employees who departed can return vaccinated by Oct. 9 to maintain their position and seniority. After that, MVHS is granting an employee "reinstatement" period until Oct. 28 for the same or a comparable position.