Flu shot or your job?

Chris Wodke

www.summittrainingpublications.com

Many healthcare workers are being faced with the decision to get a swine flu shot or lose their jobs. The State of New York is mandating all healthcare workers be vaccinated or be fired.   The State Hospital Review Board in New York adopted emergency regulations to require all hospital workers to get the swine flu shot or lose their jobs. This regulation affects everyone employed in healthcare from janitors and food service workers to doctors and nurses.  Even workers in financial areas and offices have to get the shot if they have any contact with a health care provider.

MedStar in New York is going the farthest. They require all 25,000 of its employees to get the shot. In addition 5000 associated doctors, volunteers and employees of suppliers are required to be vaccinated, even if they do not have direct patient contact.

The measure is meeting resistance. The New York Nurses association which represents 37,000 nurses in New York has opposed mandatory policies in the past and still does according to spokesman Mark Genovese.   Many states are considering similar rules.

The government says the rules are needed because such a small percentage of healthcare workers get vaccinated.  Only about 50% of healthcare workers get the seasonal flue shot each year. Many healthcare workers are worried about the safety of the Swine flu vaccine because it was rushed into production. In 1976 500 cases of Gullian Barre’ Syndrome resulting in death for 25 people were caused by a reaction to the vaccine.

Some question whether the vaccine will even be affective.  The seasonal flu shot is no guarantee you will not get the flu. Many do not feel the risk is worth the benefit. Unions say masks may be more effective at stemming the spread of the disease. For most the flu is not a big deal. You get a sore throat, fever, cough, congestion, chills etc.

Resistance is also fueled by current mis-trust of the government. Many are worried everyone will be required to get the shot and see the rules as an assault on their personal freedom. Medstar and the State of New York allow exemptions for employees with medical or religious reasons to skip the shot. 

On the other side many believe ethics demand healthcare workers do everything necessary to protect patients. They feel patient welfare should come before personal concerns. Washing hands before patient contact would not be tolerated so they feel this should not be tolerated either.

Tracking and enforcement may be a nightmare. Terminating employees for non compliance may be a mistake since there will already be a shortage of workers if an epidemic hits.

Is the Swine flu so serious that employees have to risk their job if they decide not to get vaccinated? Is the government overreacting? What would you decide?  I’m glad I’m not in that position…..yet.

 

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