![]() The Florida Hospital Association, led by onetime DeSantis political appointee Mary Mayhew, said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network-Florida that the Medicare/Medicaid regulations trump OSHA's authority and that health centers have no choice but to move forward with vaccinations. In the interim, Ascension Sacred Heart is one of the many hospitals around the state that have issued vaccination mandates to their employees. Ron DeSantis, told the USA TODAY Network-Florida "our legal team is looking into the best path forward to ensure that no health care worker has to face termination from his or her job over these mandates and the Biden Administration’s unprecedented threats and coercion." 9., the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said workers in health care settings that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must get their shot.Ī coalition of 10 states have joined a federal lawsuit in Missouri challenging the mandate.įlorida has not joined the litigation, but Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Gov. On the heels of a plan announced by President Joe Biden on Sept. I love taking care of patients and doing good for them, and I personally wish that we had the right to decide what we want to do."Īlongside the protests playing out locally, there are fights on state and national fronts regarding both federal and employer-mandated vaccination requirements. She claimed Ascension had largely denied exemption requests based on medical conditions and religious beliefs.Īddressed with the prospect of being forced out of her job, Dudinsky said, "It's very sad. Still, some Ascension employees argue their employer has a funny way of showing gratitude.ĭana Dudinsky, an ER nurse at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, was among the protesters in Miramar Beach on Friday. "We are grateful for the ongoing dedication and commitment of our associates and affiliated clinicians to provide compassionate, personalized care, not only through the height of the pandemic, but now, as our community continues to recover." ![]() It continued, "We want patients to be assured and comforted with the knowledge that our doctors and nurses, other clinicians and associates, working in one of our hospitals or other sites of care, will either be vaccinated against both COVID-19 and influenza, or in the limited instances of exemptions, be complying with additional infection prevention protocols. This is why we have required our associates to receive both the COVID-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine." In a statement released Friday, Ascension said it continues to "put the safety of our associates and those we are privileged to serve and treat at the forefront of everything we do. That's not a choice."Īscension announced its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for associates "following a thorough moral and ethical analysis," a company statement in July said. "You know, the bottom line is they're telling the staff you can either play Russian roulette and potentially have suicide by vaccine or keep your job. "Why are you mandating a vaccine when there's no crisis?" he added, citing the drastic decrease in new cases and hospitalizations related to COVID. "Tell us what you're doing and why," Crosslin said Friday, asserting that Ascension's leadership had been unwilling to engage in meaningful discussion of the vaccination requirement. 4 if they do not come into compliance, according to Greg Crosslin, a Destin attorney representing about 80 doctors, nurses and staff employed at Sacred Heart locations in Walton, Bay and Escambia counties.Ĭrosslin and affected associates contend that the vaccine requirement is an infringement on the personal rights and beliefs of employees, and equates to "blackmailing" them into a medical treatment they view as, at best, unnecessary, and at worst, unsafe. Unvaccinated employees were placed on suspension effective Friday, and will be terminated Jan. Related: COVID vaccine lawsuit is 'second-guessing military discretion,' Department of Justice saysĪscension announced its vaccination requirement for associates on July 27 and gave a Nov. ![]() Previously: 'No jab, no job': Ascension Sacred Heart employees file complaint over vaccine mandate
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