University Hospitals

Updated: 5:14 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals have reversed their employee COVID-19 vaccination mandates and will allow unvaccinated caregivers to keep their jobs after the federal order was blocked earlier this week by the courts, officials said in statements Thursday.

State officials said Monday that hundreds of new jobs have been added to the Cleveland area, new research projects have started and collaboration has grown thanks to the Cleveland Innovation District, a state-sponsored partnership between city's three major health systems and two universities.

New coronavirus cases in Ohio dropped below 3,000 for the first time in at least three weeks; The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals are requiring that living organ transplant donors and recipients be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their procedures; local steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs has announced a $775 million takeover of one of the nation’s largest scrap metal processors; and more stories.

University Hospitals has reduced the number of inpatient beds and reassigned caregivers from its Bedford and Richmond hospitals to other, higher volume UH hospitals. The two hospitals will now have 14 inpatient beds each, and UH Bedford will no longer have operating rooms.

Northeast Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated against the virus; Federal data ranks Ohio fifth in the total number of hospitalized children, behind Florida, Texas, Georgia, and California; University Hospitals is the latest health system to scale back visitations; and more stories.

An effort to legalize marijuana use and sales in Ohio has cleared another hurdle on the path to getting the proposal submitted to the Legislature; The Sandusky City School District has announced middle and high school students are staying home for remote learning this week due to four staffers testing positive for COVID-19; the family of a COVID-19 patient in Cincinnati is among a handful nationwide to have won court orders to use a livestock medicine to treat their loved ones; and more stories.

The hospital system joins most of the other systems in the Cleveland area in the vaccine mandate. Workers have until Oct. 30 to become fully vaccinated.

Two caregivers are on administrative leave while the medical error is being investigated.

Two University Hospitals employees are on leave after a transplant patient received the wrong kidney; former Canton McKinley High School football coaches are suing top district officials and others in the latest fallout over a player who was forced to eat pork against his religious beliefs; Ohio’s elections chief has referred for possible prosecution 117 apparent noncitizens who either registered to vote or cast a ballot last year; and more stories.

Health experts warn there's no guaranteed safe way to be around fireworks.