Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge, Kate Lisa, and Sam Raudins report for Columbia-Greene Media that about 83 percent of hospital workers at Columbia Memorial Health in Hudson have been vaccinated for COVID-19, the lowest level of any hospital in the Capital Region. That is according to the state Health Department on Sept. 29, while hospital officials refused to release specific staffing numbers. “The combination of record patient volumes (due in large part to COVID) and broader clinical staff supply issues continues to present challenges to many health care providers in the state, including CMH,” spokesperson Bill Van SlykeVan said in a statement. “We have been managing operations throughout the pandemic within a very tight labor market, so to lose any staff can compound that challenge. We are very proud of our employees who meet that challenge every day, and we welcome back staff who have recently been vaccinated. The numbers change daily. Overall, our experience with staff vaccinations is consistent with the broader region.” Before COVID-19, the hospital cut services and no longer does childbirth, sending mothers to Albany and Dutchess County instead. Albany Medical Center. was transparent releasing more detailed information about how many employees were not vaccinated while Columbia Memorial Health, an affiliate of Albany Medical Center, repeatedly refused to release any information. “Each of the Albany Med Health System hospitals handle their own PR, so we cannot speak for Columbia Memorial Health,” said Susan Ford, a spokesperson for Albany Medical Center. A Columbia Memorial official did admit they need help. “Some elective procedures requiring an inpatient stay have been rescheduled, and we’ve offered telehealth services at various locations, such as our rapid care centers, to help manage patient needs. We are actively recruiting for many positions, both clinical and non-clinical, so we encourage anyone who wants to serve our community in a position that offers competitive pay and good benefits to visit our website and apply,” said CMH spokesperson Van Slyke. On Sept. 30, Columbia Memorial Health hospital in Hudson was reporting four hour emergency department waiting times due to staff shortages. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.