Eight health workers fired for refusing flu shots

[Luddly Neddite]

No flu shot...no job. Eight health workers fired for refusing flu shots : News : NorthwestOhio.com

...Eight health workers in Indiana are currently unemployed...having been fired by their companies for not getting a mandatory flu shot...

...Beginning this year, all of the hospital’s staff, affiliated physicians, volunteers and vendors are required to receive a flu vaccination or apply for an exemption...

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the American Medical Association and other major regulatory health agencies, hospital spokeswoman Melanie McDonald told The Elkhart Truth...

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the American Medical Association and other major regulatory health agencies, hospital spokeswoman Melanie McDonald told The Elkhart Truth.

Indiana hospital fires 8 workers who refused flu shot | Fox News

Because IU Health Goshen Hospital staff had the option under the new policy of filing medical or religious exemptions from the vaccination, Gingerich and three others hired Alan Phillips, an attorney in North Carolina, to write their exemption recommendations.

But hospital officials rejected their exemption applications.

McDonald said a group at the hospital reviewed the exemption requests using guidelines provided by the CDC and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. She said one of the most common medical exemptions is for people with severe allergies to the vaccine, but religious exemptions are a little more complicated.

"The EEOC's guidelines specify that just because there are beliefs that are strongly held does not mean that they are protected by a religious blanket, so social, political and economic philosophies and personal preferences, those are not religious beliefs," McDonald said.

Sue Schrock, who had worked at the Goshen hospital as a hospice nurse on and off for the past 40 years, also had her exemption application rejected. She said her decision to decline the vaccination was, in part, "God-led."

I believe that employees should honor the agreement they made when they were hired. However, from the articles, it appears the hospital changed the terms of employment.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

No flu shot...no job. Eight health workers fired for refusing flu shots : News : NorthwestOhio.com

...Eight health workers in Indiana are currently unemployed...having been fired by their companies for not getting a mandatory flu shot...

...Beginning this year, all of the hospital’s staff, affiliated physicians, volunteers and vendors are required to receive a flu vaccination or apply for an exemption...

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the American Medical Association and other major regulatory health agencies, hospital spokeswoman Melanie McDonald told The Elkhart Truth...

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the American Medical Association and other major regulatory health agencies, hospital spokeswoman Melanie McDonald told The Elkhart Truth.

Indiana hospital fires 8 workers who refused flu shot | Fox News

Because IU Health Goshen Hospital staff had the option under the new policy of filing medical or religious exemptions from the vaccination, Gingerich and three others hired Alan Phillips, an attorney in North Carolina, to write their exemption recommendations.

But hospital officials rejected their exemption applications.

McDonald said a group at the hospital reviewed the exemption requests using guidelines provided by the CDC and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. She said one of the most common medical exemptions is for people with severe allergies to the vaccine, but religious exemptions are a little more complicated.

"The EEOC's guidelines specify that just because there are beliefs that are strongly held does not mean that they are protected by a religious blanket, so social, political and economic philosophies and personal preferences, those are not religious beliefs," McDonald said.

Sue Schrock, who had worked at the Goshen hospital as a hospice nurse on and off for the past 40 years, also had her exemption application rejected. She said her decision to decline the vaccination was, in part, "God-led."

I believe that employees should honor the agreement they made when they were hired. However, from the articles, it appears the hospital changed the terms of employment after they were hired.

I realize that rw's want employers/government to be able to control health care options but, imo, we're giving employers/government way too much say over our personal lives. At what point do we say that our private lives are our private business? And, if we continue giving control to employers and government, how do we ever get it back?

OTOH, I've never had either a "flu" or pneumonia vaccine and never will.

 

[eflatminor]

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Now I see the problem...

 

[Katzndogz]

The flu is communicable. Health care workers do not have a right to spread disease. If there could be a flu shot that did not intrude on private lives and only protected people at work, surely it would be preferable.

I have never had a flu shot. If I worked in the health care field, obviously the protection for patients comes before my personal decisions.

 

[AsheedMidrarwz]

I'm 64 and I don't even get asked if I want one or not by my doctor. I have no spleen.

 

[Mad Scientist]

It's not a Law, just a Recommendation from the CDC. You guys don't know the difference?

Lawsuit time.

I haven't had a Flu Shot in maybe 25 years and I rarely get sick.

See, what they don't tell you is that THIS YEARS shot only protects against LAST YEARS STRAIN.

How many different strains of flu are there? You don't know? Better look, but you might not like/agree with what you find.

 

[SteadyMercury]

It's not a Law, just a Recommendation from the CDC. You guys don't know the difference?

Lawsuit time.

A lawsuit based on what? This company changed their policy, these people didn't want to comply with company policy, so they got fired.

I haven't had a Flu Shot in maybe 25 years and I rarely get sick.

Joe hasn't worn a seat belt in 25 years and hasn't been injured in a car accident. Therefore...

See, what they don't tell you is that THIS YEARS shot only protects against LAST YEARS STRAIN.

The vaccination this year is about 90% match for currently circulating strains.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I'm 64 and I don't even get asked if I want one or not by my doctor. I have no spleen.

I'm 66 and my doctor knows better than to ask. I got flu back in the 70s, also got pneumonia but I was a smoker then and subsisted on coffee and cigarettes. Now I eat a healthy vegetarian diet and don't smoke. No colds, no flu.

Y'all might want to start asking health care workers if they get flu shots. Many do not.

As for the hosp - they changed the terms of employment and they ignored the requests for exemption. Those are both grounds for suits.

 

[JKVegas]

What's more disturbing is that I don't think the darned things actually work.

I've never had one, and I haven't had the Flu since I was a kid.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Agree. They're always based on last year's flu and viruses evolve, change, mutate.

I wouldn't even consider getting a flu/pneumonia vaccine.

 

[AmyNation]

Company has a right to require workers to get a flu shot, workers have a right to say no.Now the workers don't have to get a flu shot, everybody's happy.

 

[JKVegas]

How many people have you heard of that have gotten the shot, THEN gotten sick?

In my experience, it's a lot more than those that have declined.

Sounds like a lot of us don't do it and never have a problem. I'm kind of surprised that so many people still do it.

 

[jillian]

The hospital set the requirements based on a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Now I see the problem...

The problem is that the hospital employees aren't very bright.

 

[SteadyMercury]

As for the hosp - they changed the terms of employment and they ignored the requests for exemption. Those are both grounds for suits.

I see people saying this but am still not sure on what grounds this lawsuit would stand. It isn't like this company is violating employment law by changing the terms of employment to where they must be under 40 years old, white, christian, etc.

Since most employment is at will most employers can change policy and fire employees who refuse to adhere to it whenever they want, this vaccine decision would be no different than a fast food place changing their policy to prohibit wearing of nose rings and firing employees who won't comply. As far as I know there isn't some legal basis that a company's rules/policies for its employees cannot ever be changed without agreement from their employees.

There are probably some exceptions, like if these are union workers they could conceivably have some collective bargaining agreement or maybe if these cats had some contract they signed when accepted their job clearly stating they would never be required to get a flu shot. I have no idea if either applies in this case but I doubt it.

 

[PredFan]

The flu is communicable. Health care workers do not have a right to spread disease. If there could be a flu shot that did not intrude on private lives and only protected people at work, surely it would be preferable.

I have never had a flu shot. If I worked in the health care field, obviously the protection for patients comes before my personal decisions.

No flu shot is effective against the flu. Each year the flu is a different strain. All flu shots are obsolete when you get one. You are getting last years flu. People who get the flu shot still get the flu because of this.

I have never ever gotten a flu shot and I'm not going to. The Government tied cooperation with this rule to medicare/medicaid reimbersment. So the hospitals crack down. Our hospital requires any employee who comes with 6 feet of a patient to wear a mask if they elect not to get a flu shot. work in the OR so i always wear a mask anyway.

The government can kiss my ass.

 

[PredFan]

It's not a Law, just a Recommendation from the CDC. You guys don't know the difference?

Lawsuit time.

A lawsuit based on what? This company changed their policy, these people didn't want to comply with company policy, so they got fired.

I haven't had a Flu Shot in maybe 25 years and I rarely get sick.

Joe hasn't worn a seat belt in 25 years and hasn't been injured in a car accident. Therefore...

See, what they don't tell you is that THIS YEARS shot only protects against LAST YEARS STRAIN.

The vaccination this year is about 90% match for currently circulating strains.

That 10% is a fail pal.

 

[PredFan]

I'm 64 and I don't even get asked if I want one or not by my doctor. I have no spleen.

I'm 66 and my doctor knows better than to ask. I got flu back in the 70s, also got pneumonia but I was a smoker then and subsisted on coffee and cigarettes. Now I eat a healthy vegetarian diet and don't smoke. No colds, no flu.

Y'all might want to start asking health care workers if they get flu shots. Many do not.

As for the hosp - they changed the terms of employment and they ignored the requests for exemption. Those are both grounds for suits.

this healthcare worker does not get one, never has and never will.

I drink coffee a lot, I also drink a lot of tequila, and I eat meat, vegetables are for rabbits.

I never get sick.

 

[PredFan]

Company has a right to require workers to get a flu shot, workers have a right to say no.Now the workers don't have to get a flu shot, everybody's happy.

I'll bet that healthcare workers actually have the option to wear a mask as I do.

 

[PredFan]

How many people have you heard of that have gotten the shot, THEN gotten sick?

In my experience, it's a lot more than those that have declined.

Sounds like a lot of us don't do it and never have a problem. I'm kind of surprised that so many people still do it.

It has been my experience that the answer is; a lot.

 

[SteadyMercury]

this healthcare worker does not get one, never has and never will.

I drink coffee a lot, I also drink a lot of tequila, and I eat meat, vegetables are for rabbits.

I never get sick.

I rarely get a flu shot and don't get sick either, but I also understand that anecdotal experience is not equal to data and a flu shot would greatly reduce my chances of catching the flu.