As of Aug. 6th, nearly 100 hospitals and health systems have announced a decision to mandate the experimental emergency use (EUA) COVID-19 "vaccines" for their employees. However, there are still some health systems that have chosen not to go down that path. Likewise, many healthcare professionals—including nurses and doctors—continue to decline the shot. The mandates, which follow new guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued in early June that made it legal for employers to require COVID-19 vaccination for employees to re-enter the workplace, also permits the issuance of incentives to do so.
Hospital Systems Not Currently Issuing Vaccine Mandate
Cleveland Clinic—employing 69,000 people at its 24 hospitals—has declined to require a vaccine for its employees. Cleveland Clinic spokesperson Alicia Reale Cooney told Becker's Hospital Review the organization is providing continuous vaccine education, making the vaccine as accessible as possible, and encouraging caregivers to get the vaccine, adding:
"As the pandemic evolves, we will continue to monitor the situation."
Cleveland Clinic made headlines in early June after issuing a report stating there is no point vaccinating those who have had COVID-19. The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, revealed that:
"Individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection do not get additional benefits from vaccination, indicating that COVID-19 vaccines should be prioritized to individuals without prior infection."
It is worth noting that on May 24th, Cleveland Clinic announced a partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the direction of Dr. Anthony Fauci, to conduct a clinical trial to study "allergic reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines." The trial will study the frequency of anaphylactic reactions to mRNA vaccines and whether certain risk factors increase the likelihood of experiencing these potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. The press release states, "The goal of this phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled study is to provide evidence-based data to help determine if people with severe allergies, or a mast cell disorder, are at a greater risk of severe allergic reactions to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines."
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)—a $23 billion healthcare provider and insurer—has also indicated it will not be demanding the vaccine for employees at any of its hospitals. The hospital system, which consistently ranks among the nation's best, reported it would "continue its vaccine advocacy and outreach efforts, make vaccines easily and readily available for all, and maintain employee, patient and visitor masking requirements in all of its facilities regardless of vaccination status." With 90,000 employees spanning its 40 academic, community, and specialty hospitals, UPMC hospital spokeswoman Susan Manko told Becker's:
"UPMC continues to evaluate how we can further strengthen our protocols, particularly in settings with highly vulnerable patient populations."
With six hospitals across the U.S., Cincinnati-based Mercy Health has made the decision not to mandate vaccines. Noting that it hopes its employees will decide to get the vaccine on their own, the hospital released the following statement on Aug. 6th:
"Mercy Health strongly encourages associates to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Our COVID-19 vaccine clinics are ongoing, and we continue to see interest in receiving the vaccine from our frontline associates. We continuously review local, state, and national guidelines regarding mandating vaccinations for associates, and we are currently in deliberations on this important issue. Each associate who works for Mercy Health is critical to supporting the needs of our patients and our communities. Now and always, our associates' health and safety remains our top priority as they care for our communities."
Other hospitals in Ohio that are currently not mandating the vaccine are University Hospitals and MetroHealth.
Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine is also currently opposed to forced vaccinations. The top-ranked hospital system, which reports more than 75 percent of its staff already vaccinated, has 11 hospitals across Illinois. According to Becker's, Chris King—the director of media relations and communications—said that the reaction to choosing not to mandate the experimental COVID-19 vaccines for its staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Mr. King added:
"For our unvaccinated employees, we are trying to get a better understanding of why they have not received the vaccine. Is there a medical reason or religious exemption? If those are not the reason, then we want to create an environment where we can provide information and learning opportunities to educate any employee that may have questions or concerns on being vaccinated."
Why Are Healthcare Workers Declining the Vaccine?
When pondering why healthcare workers would refuse the COVID-19 vaccine—why they would be willing to lose their job if it becomes mandatory—journalist Eric Starkman proclaims, "it makes me wonder what they possibly know that I don't." According to Starkman, "Common sense suggests to me these employees would be lining up to get jabbed, but that doesn't appear to be the case."
Indeed, it is not the case. UncoverDC has reported extensively on the controversial experimental COVID-19 "gene-therapy drug." WebMD reports that one in four hospital workers dealing directly with patients remains unvaccinated, and at the 50 largest hospitals, that number is one in three. Commenting that "groupthink is not a good thing in medicine," Starkman remarked:
If I knew one in three airplane manufacturing employees refused to fly on Boeing's 737 Max, I wouldn't go near the aircraft, regardless of it getting FDA certification. Forcing healthcare workers to accept medical treatments they feel are ill-advised sends a bad message. If healthcare workers aren't allowed to act on what they believe are their best medical interests, they are being conditioned to remain silent about patient treatments their experience and observation tells them are harmful."
