22 States Petition HHS and CMS to Lift Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers (video)

A group of 22 states led by the Montana attorney general has urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to lift the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the Medicare and Medicaid space.

The states include Montana, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

They filed their petition asking the United States Department of Health and Human Services HHS and CMS to repeal the mandate and any associated guidance that requires the staff at healthcare organizations to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In the petition, the attorney general stated that the vaccine mandate significantly limited many patients' access to necessary medical care services. The petition also stated that the mandates decreased healthcare workers' employment opportunities, forcing them to choose to become vaccinated or unemployed.

Some believe that there are upsize and downsides to lifting the vaccine mandate. The upside is it might slightly increase staff availability; the downside is that it may increase the unwillingness of patients to allow unvaccinated workers to treat them.

But not everyone agrees. Some have said that every employer struggles to fill their ranks, so it's fair to blame the staffing shortage on the HHS or the vaccine mandates.

But overall, many believe that there isn't a chance that the vaccine mandate will be removed.

The Supreme Court Has Spoken.....(Video)

 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses - a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans - while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities.

The vote was 5-4 to allow the healthcare worker rule, which requires vaccination for about 10.3 million workers at 76,000 healthcare facilities including hospitals and nursing homes that accept money from the Medicare and Medicaid government health insurance programs for elderly, disabled and low-income Americans. 

Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers (Video)

Are you a healthcare worker? Concerned about the new vaccine mandates from CMS?

A federal judge has just blocked the mandate, giving you more time to make a decision. Whether you're for or against vaccines, we can all agree that everyone should have the right to choose. So don't let anyone else decide what's best for you - make up your own mind and find out more about the vaccine mandates in this video.

Colorado Hospital Refuses Kidney Transplant to Woman Over Vaccine Refusal (Video)

A Colorado hospital system says it is denying organ transplants to patients who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 “in almost all situations” under a new policy.

UCHealth, which operates hospitals and urgent care facilities throughout the state, confirmed to The Post on Wednesday that organ transplant recipients and living donors must now be vaccinated against COVID-19 before undergoing procedures.

The health system said the driving force behind the policy change was studies showing transplant patients are more likely to die if they contract COVID-19. The mortality rate for transplant patients who get COVID is more than 20 percent, according to UCHealth.

And this hospital is not the first and will not be the last. Let's watch and see how this plays out. 

Unvaccinated Nursing Students Face Hurdles Getting Degrees (Video)

Some nursing students who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 struggle to complete their clinical training and degrees. 

Some nursing schools say it's been more challenging to place unvaccinated students in healthcare facilities that will accept them.

These are some of our fellow Unit Secretaries who are working and going to nursing school simultaneously. 

In my opinion, this mandate will only contribute to the nursing shortage that was present before the pandemic. 

It Has Begun | Unvaccinated New York Healthcare Workers Either Terminated or Placed on Unpaid Leave (Video)

As the deadline approached Sept. 27 for New York state's healthcare COVID-19 vaccination mandate, many workers rushed to get vaccinated.

But some refused and were either fired or suspended without pay. And they may not qualify for unemployment.

And some hospitals that lost employees had to deal with the fallout immediately, halting elective surgeries and closing departments.

There are hospitals all over the country mandating the vaccine for their employees, and some are facing the same fallout, and others are not.

So we will see how all of this plays out.

CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccination at Discharge (Video)

The CDC encourages hospitals, emergency departments, and emergency care facilities to administer COVID-19 vaccine to unvaccinated patients at discharge, reports AHA News.

The CDC said that cities should allocate vaccines to medical facilities with patients who have higher vulnerabilities.

Treat the Vaccinated Over The Unvaccinated (Video)

Should hospitals running low on beds and staff prioritize vaccinated COVID-19 patients before the unvaccinated?

No.

This video talks about how it would never work because hospital staff doesn’t think like that. We don’t punish people.

We treat people. We help people. That’s what we do. 

The First Domino Has Dropped | NY Hospital to Close Maternity Ward After Staff Resigns over Vaccine Mandate (Video)

 

A New York hospital had to close its Maternity Unit after seven employees resigned over the mandatory vaccination for all healthcare workers. 

And to make matters worse, there are seven more employees within that department who still have not indicated whether they will get vaccinated or resign. 

And on top of that, an additional 165 employees in the hospital may resign, possibly forcing the hospital to close five more departments. 

The dominos are beginning to drop, and we shall see how this plays out. 

Will The Unvaccinated Pay More for Health Insurance? (Video)

 

In recent weeks, there have been talks to charge the unvaccinated more for life and health insurance, as a way to encourage people to get vaccinated.

In this video, I'll discuss whether or not insurance companies can do that and if there should be other incentives to reward those who chose to be vaccinated.

Nursing Home Employees Must Take The Vaccine. Will Hospital Employees Be Next? (Video)

President Joe Biden has mandated that nursing homes require their employees to be vaccinated or risk losing their Medicare funding.

We'll discuss if this mandate will be coming soon to a hospital near you.

A Lot Can Change In a Year....

2020 - Essential Worker

2021 - Disposable Worker

What a difference a year makes

Houston Hospital Suspends 178 Employees for Refusing the Vaccine (Video)

This is a follow-up to a blog post in May regarding some hospital employees suing their hospital requiring all employees to get the Covid 19 vaccine. 

Fast forward to today, and those employees plus others who refused the vaccine have been suspended. 

In this video, I'll share my thoughts on this Houston hospital suspending 178 employees with no pay for 2 weeks. 

Employees Suing Hospital For Mandating the Covid 19 Vaccines (Video)

I made a video a while ago talking about companies paying employees to take the Covid 19 vaccine.

We're seeing states and businesses are bribing people to take the vaccine with either lottery winnings or food. 

And of course, now we are at the point when hospitals are starting to mandate the vaccine. But employees are fighting back - by suing. 

Click here to read more.