Local Hospital: No Flu Vaccine, No Pay Raise
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Mandatory Flu Vaccines
One local hospital has given this mandate to employees: no vaccine, no pay raise.
NBC 4
No flu vaccine, no pay raise. That’s the mandate for employees at one local hospital.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—No flu vaccine, no pay raise. That’s the mandate for employees at one local hospital.
The new rule applied to both seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines.
Some question the policy, though.
NBC 4’s Ana Jackson GOT ANSWERS on why local health officials made the vaccines mandatory.
A mandate on flu vaccines has stirred up protests.
New York health-care workers rallied at the state capitol Tuesday.
The seasonal flu shot is mandatory for all Nationwide Children’s Hospital employees.
Dr. Dennis Cunningham said it is a matter of protecting patients and providing good care.
“If there’s a bad flu outbreak and we have lots of staff who are out sick, how do we keep the hospital running,” Cunningham said.
All Children’s employees also will be required to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available at the end of October.
Employees with medical or religious objections are exempt, and employees who refuse the treatments will lose out on pay raises or bonuses, according to a hospital memo.
“I don’t think it’s extreme. When you look at what patients want and need, they want to be cured they want to be kept safe. These are children a very vulnerable population. It is our job to keep them safe,” Cunningham said.
NBC 4 received an e-mail addressing concerns over vaccines’ mercury content.
“Multi-dose vials … there will be a trace in there. It acts as a preservative. No bacteria in there, and it’s kept sterile. But the level is so low, it wouldn’t cause disease in humans,” Cunningham said about the mercury.
NBC 4 found both the OhioHealth hospitals, such as Riverside Methodist Hospital and Grant Medical Center, and the Ohio State University medical centers offer free flu vaccines to all staff members but do not require a vaccination. Policy changes are always possible, though, officials said.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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Reader Reactions
OK, I understand the belief that a flu shot will make you immune to the flu. The flu shot is formulated to target what is believed to be by the CDC the most wide spread, and virulent form of flu for that season. Thats great, problem is that flu virus mutates so when you get sick it is from a differnt though similar strain. H1N1 is no different.
I recommend the tried and true method of WASHING your hands. with soap and water. I swear it works. That and if you are sick, STAY HOME.
As a member of the military and current RN/ Paramedic/ Firefighter I have been innocculated against…....pretty much everything. You know what? Washing your hands works the best. Flu shot?not so much.
To sum up….WASH YOUR HANDS ;)
A bit reminecent of the not too distant past when Nazi’s demanded Jews wear Stars of David, or else…“Paper’s please?“ What in the world is this Nation coming to? Definitely not Freedom….sounds to me like a nice revolt is in order…and I’m not afraid to say it.
BobjustBob
do your research This NEW and improved H1N1 shot is based on the same formula they used back in the 70’s this vaccine KILLED more people then the virus did!
Is anyone organizing a protest? I will be there. Please let me know!!!
Educate yourself on what your doing to you and your family.
CDC States H1N1 Vaccine May Maim and Kill 30,000 Americans, FDA Requires Minimal Efficiency
http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=5353
Leaked Letter: Neurologists Concerned About Swine Flu Vaccine
http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=5210
Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers
http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=4881
Spermicide, Cleaners, and Cosmetics along with Thimerosal and Squalene Found in Experimental H1N1 Vaccine
http://blacklistednews.com/searchnews-5564-0-6-6-searchnews-bykey-h1n1-.html
Doctors have been put on alert for a deadly disease linked to swine flu jabs.
http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=5229
Massachusetts Senate Passes Draconian Flu Pandemic Bill
http://blacklistednews.com/searchnews-5438-0-6-6-searchnews-bykey-swine+flu-.html
WHO moves forward in secrecy to accomplish forced vaccination and population agenda
http://blacklistednews.com/news-4936-0-5-5—.html
“the checkout clerk at a grocery store isn’t spending long amounts of time in an “intimate” (for lack of a better word) situation treating an injury or illness. Big difference.“
If my memory is correct, the H1N1 was brought back to this country by a group of students on vacation in Mexico,not from being in a hospital. It’s that casual contact that spreads the H1N1.
So that casual contact in a store, classroom, mall, movie theater, where infection control procedures are NOT in place is a much higher risk situation than being in a hospital.
So again….if this is such a huge issue for hospital employees, why is it not just as imperative for every other occupations out there? Why are we not seeing “mandating” of this vaccine from all employers?
The comment about chronically sick children being the most vulnerable…couldn’t agree more. This is why those who are immunocompromised or extremely ill would be the group that would be benefiting from those strict isolation procedures that hospital already have in place. Those children are at high risk for any virus in our environment. Isolation is the ONLY way to protect them and all age patients in the same situation from all viruses.
HP Fan - the checkout clerk at a grocery store isn’t spending long amounts of time in an “intimate” (for lack of a better word) situation treating an injury or illness. Big difference.
Hospital workers are expected by their patients to be in good health - otherwise it negates the purpose of being in a health care profession (not to mention it’s a bit hypocritical). Additionally, hospital staff are in a high risk group for contracting H1N1.
Let’s say a hospital gives the vaccine to everyone and 20% have a reacton and stay home. Another hospital doesn’t give it to anyone and 40% get sick and stay home. Aren’t the numbers still better with the vaccination?
Now, having said that, 20% is a high amount of reaction to a vaccine and it wouldn’t be approved for use with that high of a number. That’s a very unrealistic scenario. However, 40% is very realistic for H1N1 infection in an environment such as a hospital (it’s already spread in those numbers in school buildings).
The odds are in favor that even with reactions to the vaccination, it will still be a lower number than if there is none and the virus infects workers.
Cassie 104, we seem to be on the same page. I’ve been a nurse all my life. I’m not telling how many years that is but it’s more than 26. I remember the 1976 issue. I never took any flu vaccine for exactly that reason.
BobjustBobwrote, would you want your sick child treated at a hospital by a nurse who refused the vaccine and may be ill? It happens every day in every single hospital in this country. Would you want your child going to the grocery store with you if there was a chance the check out clerk was sick and didn’t know it?
tamgry wrote, You don’t hear a bunch of whining from these professionals. Guess you don’t pay much attention to what’s going on outside the safety of you office.
tamgry wrote,Find another profession if you don’t want to treat and protect your patients. Your so full of yourself it’s funny. I’ve been a nurse probably longer than you’ve been alive. Do you ever actually perform any patient care?
Wow….calling health professionals “whiners” when they choose to make an informed decision about their own bodies, pretty much highlights how some administrators feel about their staff.
The CDC has not mandated this vaccine and in fact encourages the use of standard infection control procedures.With teens being the most widely affected should we mandate that all mall employees and college staff get the vaccine? If this is truly about public health, then why are we ignoring those high risk populations? Because if they mandated this there would be outrage. Just because someone has chosen to work in the medical field doesn’t mean they give up their rights to what they put in their bodies. If a facility finds that their employees are not carrying out infection control procedures, then that is where they need to focus, not on bullying employees into taking a vaccine that they don’t want.
I’ve been a nurse for 26 years and I was around for the 1976 Swine vaccine debacle. It is well documented that the true effects of any new drug, or vaccine are not realized until the drug/vaccine is out of the clinical trial phase and widely distributed to the general population. I don’t choose to participate in this investigatory phase.
As for “safe and effective”, is Children’s willing to accept full liability for an adverse reaction that arises from this vaccine?
HP Fan, “minimally tested” is still testing - is it not? It’s better than no testing at all. In the end this vaccine will help more than it harms.
Ask yourself this - would you want your sick child treated at a hospital by a nurse who refused the vaccine and may be ill?
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