153 people resigned or were fired from a Texas hospital system after refusing to get vaccinated

[DonViejo]

Dan Diamond 14 hrs ago

More than 150 health-care workers who did not comply with a Houston-based hospital system’s vaccine mandate have been fired or resigned, more than a week after a federal judge upheld the policy.

Houston Methodist — one of the first health systems to require the coronavirus shots — terminated or accepted the resignations of 153 workers Tuesday, spokeswoman Gale Smith said. Smith declined to specify how many were in each category.

The hospital system announced April 1 that staffers would need to be vaccinated to keep their jobs. While 24,947 workers did get vaccinated by earlier deadlines, Houston Methodist suspended 178 workers who had failed to do so on June 7, giving them an additional two weeks to prove they had been immunized. Twenty-five of those employees did get vaccinated, Smith said.

Earlier this month, a federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by one of those employees, Jennifer Bridges, a former nurse who alleged the policy was unlawful and forced staffers to be “guinea pigs” for vaccines that had not gone through the full Food and Drug Administration approval process. The FDA has authorized three coronavirus vaccines for emergency use, following rigorous clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people, and both Pfizer and Moderna have applied for full approval for their vaccines.

More/NO PAYWALL

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/153-people-resigned-or-were-fired-from-a-texas-hospital-system-after-refusing-to-get-vaccinated/ar-AALkmAV

[Murphyb849]

1. As a nurse I would never risk children or immunosuppressed patients to covid.

I took care of violent psych patients with covid and got covid myself and now have long haul covid. I wouldn't wish this on anyone even an enemy. No real nurse would never risk the health of anyone and I wouldn't want those nurses in any hospital I was in. And my nephew has a kidney transplant, cannot take vaccine and this is personal to me.

[AllyCat]

23. Yup. I agree. I am hoping my facility follows suit

once the vaccine is fully approved. Would get a bunch of the Trumpers out of our workspace.

[LonePirate]

2. Good. More health care employers should take this same approach.

[SCantiGOP]

3. If a child can't get into Kindergarten

without proof of vaccination, how the hell do nurses expect to work with critically ill people without the protection of a
Vaccine?

[Ms. Toad]

12. All mandatory vaccines for school admission have regular FDA approval.

None of the COVID vaccines do.

Not a good analogy.

[NoRethugFriends]

18. Bull

The vaccines have gone through more rigorous testing than anything ever has.

[Ms. Toad]

37. They are still not approved.

Approval is not synonymous with testing (although testing, including over a period of time that has now been met is a prerequisite to approval).

Until the status changes they are not analogous scenarios.

ETA: I'm not arguing against mandatory vaccination - only the use of mandatory school vaccinations as justification.

[NoRethugFriends]

39. They are approved. Emergency approval is still approval.

[Ms. Toad]

40. No vaccinations approved only on an emergency status

are mandatory school vaccinations.

There is a difference between emergency approval, and full approval.

But you know that. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation because the existince of an emergency approval status is a clear indication the vaccine does not yet (or did not at the time of the application) meet the standards for full approval.

[NoRethugFriends]

42. Which is exactly what I said. Emergency approval.

[SCantiGOP]

27. Except we know the Covid vaccine works

Almost all people being hospitalized now are unvaccinated.
I wouldn’t say the analogy is invalid just because the bureaucracy hasn’t yet filed documentation.

[Ms. Toad]

38. It isn't a matter of filing the documentation.

It is a matter of comparing what the testing shows with the requirements for approval.

It isn't far off - BUT - approval has not yet been granted. When it has, the analogy is appropriate; right now it isn't.

ETA: I'm not arguing against mandatory vaccination - only the use of mandatory school vaccinations as justification.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. I'm sure many of them had skewed views about other things too, such as QANON and the like.

.

In one way, that might have removed a few potential shooters from the workforce.

I'm exaggerating of course, but you know what I mean.

.

[spinbaby]

9. Exactly

Plus, if they’re not willing to be vaccinated, they’re probably engaging in other risky behaviors, such as not masking and hanging out with other unvaccinated people.

As an aside, I know a person working as a respiratory therapist in Florida who says that all her recent patients with covid have been unvaccinated, and that she’s seeing a much higher rate of noncompliant patients, mainly patients who refuse to lie on their belly to help their breathing.

[Probatim]

11. Morale in the hospital probably just jumped.

Not only did the workplace become safer (firing the people who wouldn't get vaccinated), but, from my experience with anti-vaxxers, a large percentage of this 153 were probably giant jerks.

[Treefrog]

35. And many are probably people of color. Huge hesitancy in those populations.

There’s been a lot of media coverage about that, and I doubt they’re all q followers.

[Hortensis]

50. Tribal loyalty for many, plus political spite for many others,

and it seems likely that grabbing onto justifications for these biggies is like letting the squirrels in to nest.

[LisaL]

5. Good.

That hospital managed to achieve a very high vaccination rate by mandating their employees be vaccinated.
That's an example for the rest of the country. More hospitals (at the very least) should start requiring vaccinations.

[Paladin]

6. Outstanding. (nt)

[Bristlecone]

7. Houston Methodist Hospital is now a safer and healthier environment.

[jaxexpat]

21. Maybe that's why Methodists are, around here, called "Baptists with diplomas".

Go Houston Methodist Hospital!

[marble falls]

8. It's just surprising how many health professionals aren't getting the message.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Excellent! I hope this spreads like wildfire. I hope insurance e companies raise their rates, too.

Fuck 'em.

[Lonestarblue]

14. Employer-based policies could require vaccination unless there is a medical reason.

If you refuse vaccination because you love Trump more than your own or other lives, then any treatment for Covid would not be covered. Draconian and will never happen, but I’m really tired of the stupid.

[hatrack]

13. Good! Fuck 'em . . .

All done with Teh Stupid, as exemplified here.

[LittleGirl]

15. Too bad, so sad.

These people should not be in healthcare. I wouldn’t want them touching me or within 6 feet of me either.

[DURHAM D]

16. Good.

I wish every medical facility would do the same. Also every dentist.

[NoMoreRepugs]

17. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. I like a operation that does what they said they would. Good.

[Quakerfriend]

20. flu vaccine has been mandatory at nearly all hospitals for years

And, we all know this virus is much more deadly.
So, I don’t understand what they are thinking 😵‍💫

[lark]

22. Good, get rid of the life threatening asses.

Where I used to work, the flu vaccine was mandatory. If they didn't have a dr. note specifying why they couldn't get the vaccine, it needed a specific directly applicable diagnosis - not just anxiety for example or needed to get a notarized note from the worker that this violated their religious beliefs with the reason being explained in detail or the person was fired. We never had to fire anyone, everyone compiled or brought in their notarized paper (few did this) in my area, don't think we did in the entire co. Now, the Covid vaccination is mandatory. I will have to ask my friend if they still have very widespread compliance with the Covid vaccination. This is No. FL. so it could be an issue.

[Indykatie]

24. That's Less Than 1% So More than 99% Got Vaccinated. Why Not Hype That Awesome Result Too?

[Scruffy1]

31. I would also assume that a lot of these idiots don't actually work in healthcare.

A lot of hospital jobs are in things like maintenance, custodial, and accounting. like you said 99%+. texas being a right to work state employees can be fired at will so the suit was a joke from the beginning.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. Because unfortunately this is not a unique case

I had posted in another thread about the problems going on here in PA too - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2759338

Mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers can mean hard realities for employers

Philadelphia pediatrician Eric Berger enforced mandatory shots in May after an after-hours karaoke party caused a small outbreak among staff. Six of his 47 staff members walked out.

by Christine Spolar, Kaiser Health News
Published Jun 21, 2021

Christopher Richmond keeps a running tab on how many workers at the ManorCare skilled nursing facility he manages in western Pennsylvania have rolled up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine. Although residents were eager for the shots this year, he’s counted only about 3 in 4 workers vaccinated at any one time. The excuses, among its staff of roughly 100, had a familiar ring: Because COVID-19 vaccines were authorized only for emergency use, some staffers worried about safety. Convenience mattered. In winter, shots were administered at work through a federal rollout. By spring, though, workers had to sign up online through a state program — a time-sucking task.

ManorCare urges every worker to be immunized against COVID-19 but turnover has vexed that effort. Managers at ProMedica, a nonprofit health system that operates ManorCare and senior care facilities in 26 states, faced a workforce conundrum familiar to all manner of providers during the pandemic: how to persuade essential workers to get vaccinated — and in a way that didn’t drive them away. Raises and bonuses, costing millions of dollars, did not move the needle to 100%. Animus toward the vaccine created turmoil for some providers.

Dr. Eric Berger, a pediatrician in Philadelphia who opened his practice more than a dozen years ago, enforced mandatory shots in May and saw six of his 47 staff members walk out. Berger said he worked for months to educate resistant workers. In April, he learned that several, women in their 20s and 30s, had attended a private karaoke party. Within days, four staffers were infected with COVID-19. Berger, who had seen in-office costs for protective equipment soar, then set a deadline for shots. He looks back with steely resolve over the last-minute “I quit” texts he received — and the hassle of finding a new receptionist and billing and medical assistants.

(snip)

Earlier this month, the U.S. Labor Department issued a temporary emergency standard for health care workers, saying they face “grave danger” in the workplace when “less than 100 percent of the workforce is fully vaccinated.” In Pennsylvania, whose population ranks among the oldest according to 2019 census data, statistical snapshots published in April underscored the need for vigilance. Two state agencies overseeing skilled nursing care and personal care homes reported that only half of their workers were vaccinated. COVID-19 was notably devastating to long-term care facilities nationwide in 2020; some of Pennsylvania’s deadliest outbreaks were reported by local media in places shown later to have low staff vaccination rates. The questions and qualms about vaccines came at the end of a deeply distressing pandemic year for health care workers, and facilities are now finding fewer applicants for essential care.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-mandates-health-care-workers-20210621.html

I also added this -

We also have many police and firefighters, let alone current military who are refusing it. There has been much focus on minority group "hesitancy" and little on the very people who are or can be continually exposed to the virus and are in position to spread it to the most vulnerable.

So knowing that when COVID-19 first came blazing in, it ravaged health facilities (notably long-term care types), the issue now focuses on designated "first responders" and "front line workers" whose very work exposes them to possible infection, day in and day out. With the proper PPE AND a vaccine, they can be even better assured of not contracting the more infectious variants that are starting to predominate, from anyone being treated who might be shedding large amounts of virus.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. First thought: Good! Fuck 'em! Second thought: a healthcare system with 25,000 employees?

Third thought: continues to be Good! Fuck 'em!

But fuck - 25,000 employees? This kind of bloat/mass-consolidation in the healthcare industry is not healthy and needs to end. And even though it still has the name "Methodist" in it, I bet it's also a for-profit enterprise now and not an old-school church-related hospital that was created as a mission, not a wealth generator.

Anyway, fuck 'em. Rightwing snowflake medical workers don't deserve to have a job.

[Jilly_in_VA]

26. Appropriate!

If you feel that way, I don't want you anywhere near me or my family if we're sick. As a nurse myself, I've been vaccinated against everything that came along, flu shot every year, pneumonia shot, etc. Got my "Fauci Ouchie" in March. If you don't want to, then you can go work at a car wash for all I care. Turn in your license before you leave.

[patphil]

28. Hospitals treat sick people, who by their very nature are more vulnerable to Covid.

It's highly unethical to put at risk patients who, by virtue of their illnesses, have weakened immune systems.
There could also be legal problems for the hospitals if a patient contracted the virus after being exposed to these unvaccinated workers.

Jennifer Bridges doesn't want to be a guinea pig, but would rather the patients were the guinea pigs in, what would amount to, an unofficial Covid transmission study.
She's in the wrong profession.

[Dukkha]

29. Don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you!

Selfish asshats have no business working in the medical profession.

[El Mimbreno]

30. As one of my Twitter friends said:

A healthcare worker being anti-vaccine is like an auto mechanic being anti-brakes.

[Initech]

32. If you don't get vaccinated, you have no business being anywhere near a hospital!

[dalton99a]

34. It is time for them to find a different career.

[womanofthehills]

36. Taking case all the way to Supreme Court

Those who filed the lawsuit have already appealed the judge’s dismissal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court.


“We’re OK with this decision. We are appealing. This will be taken all the way to the Supreme Court. This is far from over. This is literally only the beginning,” Bridges said. https://www.khou.com/amp/article/news/local/houston-methodist-nurse-lawsuit-update/285-c501a7de-b28c-4208-8130-13dc7eced232?FbKHOU=&__twitter_impression=true

[Marcuse]

41. Good. You're too stupid to have a job.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Interesting. My friend works in hospital

Last edited Wed Jun 23, 2021, 05:38 PM - Edit history (1)

In central tx... Felt leery about vaccine. Wonder if every hospital that has a policy will have to comply with this. I don't think her hospital had a mandated policy because they didn't force her to take the vaccine

[LanternWaste]

44. Leery, huh? Sounds substantive.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

45. Did I spell it wrong? LOL couldn't decide if it needed an e e

Or an EA.

She actually works in the IT department of the hospital. She did think it through. And this was a long time ago she may think differently now although she's big on the vaccine not having FDA approval?

Her belief was that she was relatively young and healthy and that she didn't trust the vaccine but rather felt she would take her chances getting covid with a light case then taking an unknown vaccine

I know, I'm just a messenger not like I agreed with her

[LisaL]

46. She might not get a light case with a delta variant.

Which is the variant that's well on the way to become dominant in the US. This isn't your original covid.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. I know! It's hard living in a bright red state. It's very hard to educate people

We are like the only Dems around.

And it's really hard to explain to some of the people who seem well informed are inherently ignorant about this and don't seem to want to learn. Or are just dismissing a lot of it as politics.

I don't really understand it at all. But my husband said that we need to just worry about ourselves and not try to change these crazy people

[smirkymonkey]

48. She can still spread it.

Obviously she's not thinking of anyone but herself. That's the problem with these people. It's always all about them.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. Absolutely.