Social Worker Fired From Northwell For Defying Vaccine Mandate

GLEN HEAD, NY — A psychotherapist and social worker with more than three decades at Northwell Health was among 1,400 employees fired for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

While Lorraine Bertino still has a private practice, she lost her affiliation with the facility. She was based in New Hyde Park at Zucker Hillside Hospital.

"I loved it so much," Bertino told Patch. "Half my life was spent there."

Bertino is also an expert in handling substance abuse patients.

"I just feel so bad that they couldn't accommodate me," Bertino admitted. "I don't think it would have been a hardship for them."

Under the state's mandate, hospital or nursing home workers were required to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27.

Northwell announced it is at 100 percent compliance system-wide since terminating Bertino and the 1,399 other health care workers who refused to get the shot.

As saddened as she is by the situation, Bertino is grateful for her 34 years with Northwell.

"It was hard to let go all of a sudden," she said. "Some people I didn't even get to say goodbye. That's not good for a social worker."

Despite the dramatic turn of events, Bertino said retirement was on the horizon in the next year or two. However, she was able to file paperwork with her union to officially retire as of Oct. 1 with full benefits and pension.

But Bertino was stunned by the hospital's stance to cut loose workers and didn't expect there would even be a vaccine mandate.

"[President] Biden said he would never do that. Even [Dr. Anthony] Fauci said, 'I don't foresee a mandated vaccine,' especially in [an] experimental phase," Bertino said.

Bertino, a proponent of alternative and holistic medicine, said she read many documents on the vaccine's efficacy from numerous researchers and epidemiologists.

"Following this became very scary to me," she said.

A report by Yale Medicine, though, examined the efficacy of the three vaccines and found they are overwhelmingly safe.

The Pfizer vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19, although data from a six-month period reduces that to 97 percent.

Moderna is shown to be at least 96 percent in preventing symptomatic illness in health care workers.

Johnson & Johnson has a 86 percent efficacy rate against moderate and severe illness from COVID-19 patients in the U.S.

It's only a week since Bertino was forced out, but she has no regrets in her decision.

"If it was really safe and had a safety record, I would be the first in line," she said. "I'm sorry. I just can't take the chance. I have a 92-year-old mother, who I have to take care of."

Her mother also refused to get the shot.

During the three-week roller coaster, Bertino attempted to get religious exemption until that fell through. She was also told not to inform her patients about the behind-the-scenes battle.

The job was "tailor made" for Bertino, although she admitted "except maybe I could have used a little more money."

"I really appreciate why people are holding on to their jobs," Bertino said. "I know so many people that really didn't want to take this and waited until the last minute. I really understand that."