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Addressing widespread staffing shortages in his industry, Parkinson said his group will continue to look for a testing alternative to prevent workers from going to other jobs.

Hospitals are the largest employer in Philadelphia, with 57,000 workers. a guess Philadelphia Works, a nonprofit.

According to hospital administrators, the city’s experience also highlighted the work needed to persuade all staff, especially non-whites, to get vaccinated.

At the University of Pennsylvania Health System, the enactment of his tenure on September 1 widened the gap in vaccination rates for initially white and Black personnel. When speaking to non-white employees, doctors and administrators said they were open about the role that race and racism play in decision-making, and were careful to highlight non-white employees, including doctors, pharmacists and security guards, in their campaigns. The vaccination rate of the system approached from 70 percent to 100 percent.

Although managers are told that keeping town halls is not effective, Dr. Florencia Greer Polite said she thinks the problem is often due to the “all-white” nature of the panels.

“You have to have the right messenger,” agreed Michael Young, executive director of Temple University Health System, who works with union and community members. Main Line Health, another local hospital group, said it relied on “vaccine ambassadors” to talk to employees in departments like food service and cleaning.

In Philadelphia, Ms. Brooks-LaSure said it was clear that hospital and nursing home administrators were focusing on addressing the concerns of workers who were unsure of the vaccine’s safety. “This will be good for my baby, this will be good for me,” said women who were concerned about the effect of the vaccine.