Tennessee Healthcare Workers Fear Job Loss Over Federal Mandates
Photo Credit: Wellmig
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A number of Tennessee healthcare facilities have recently stated that vaccine mandates will remain in effect, despite Governor Lee’s signing of the sweeping COVID-19 bill. Many of them say that federal funding requirements make it impossible for them to change those mandates.
One Nashville nurse spoke anonymously to WMTZ about her fear of losing her job because she is opposed to vaccine mandates.
“Our heads are being held underwater and it’s our choice to either accept the vaccine mandate or quit our jobs. We lose our livelihood, my career,” she told them.
Those in charge at HCA Healthcare say most employees have already received the vaccine, and they are working with those who have not yet taken it.
This nurse said she isn’t comfortable with taking a vaccine that has been around for less than a year and believes she should be able to decide what is best for her.
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“I had COVID. It didn’t affect me that bad. It absolutely affects some. It’s killed many. But for me and my family, I know what’s good for me and my body and the way COVID affected me. I still have the antibodies through my veins and that’s not enough,” she said.
Many nurses are concerned with potential staffing shortages if those who refuse the vaccine are forced to quit their jobs.
“We’re already in a staffing shortage, already as we speak. I’m on day 9 or 9. We are at a staffing shortage 100 percent and it will get worse,” said the nurse.
An HCA spokesperson says they are following the guidance required for facilities receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. Those guidelines allow for religious and medical exemptions, but they do not allow for a weekly COVID testing option.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
If we are hit with another surge of Covid or some other epidemic, even the flu, Biden’s bunch will be forced to try to order the nurses and volunteers back to work. If they do, hold out for all you back pay and a fifty thousand dollar bonus for putting up with his crap.
Why don’t these Hospitals get together and file a class action Law suit to put a stop to these power hungry democrats? This is the only thing they understand? All of these Doctor’s and Nurse’s were hero’s during COVID and now they are being thrown under the bus for their own convictions. If they do not stand by their employees I hope they pay a big price for it. What will be next they will be blackmailed over??
I was a CNA at the start of covid, I worked in a rather large hospital,,,, it was no accident that the FIRST positive covid patient stayed all day and evening without anyone knowing it. So this person went to ER that morning, was cared for by ER nurses, traveled thru the elevators, stayed on fifth floor til late that evening when I began first round of vitals, and stopped halfway to go see some info I needed on the computer at nurses station. I noticed that the next patient I was to get vitals had COVID as his diagnosis. I was furious and scared, and wandered why nobody was aware that a positive covid patient had not been brought up in report, and why the patinet had no PPE, and his door was wide open, no PPE outside his door. When I went to charge nurse, she looked at me and laughed and said, We dont have any covid patients,,,,I said yes we do. She was furious and scared also. Never got an answer as to why so many people were clueless, nor why this person was on a med surge floor……I see it this way,,,The hospital allowed this happen, this patient was their first big money maker and it did not matter if all the nurses, patients, hospital workers, etc,,,,,,Hospitals treated staff really bad long before covid and there needs to be laws made that protects hospital staff, and there also needs to be visitation rights for our patients because we all know that if working conditions were terrible before covid that it was and still is wrong for that patient not having anyone advocate for them. As for some nurses, I seen some a LOT just become useless and do the bare minimum because they were mad because they were moved out of their usual working locations and taking care of covid patients were not what ” they signed up for “…..One RN and two techs hung out in lobby for 3 hours as I was complaining to two charge nurses that they had disappeared and her reply was,,,I hate you have to do this yourself,,,finally called the supervisor and the security gaurds found them…… I know there are many great nurses out there but I know there are people died and may have not died if staff had been doing what they needed to be doing instead of being selfish and lazy. And yep, the RN and two techs that ditched us on the covid unit, still has a job,,,by the way,,The RN works in surgery. Now experienced nurses are gone,,mostly all them left at the start of covid, so when you go to the hospital,,,you WILL BE VERY FORTUNATE IF YOU GET A GREAT NURSE AND HOPE SHE ISNT ON HER 16TH IN A ROW SHIFT.