Hundreds of workers at Ochsner Health in Louisiana and Mississippi have been fired for not coming into compliance with the firm’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, though 99 percent of additional staff members have. Tulane Health Care Economist, Charles Stoecker, posed this question when asked about the situation: “Would you rather go to a hospital where the staff is immunized against COVID or where the staff may be vulnerable to COVID and possibly transmit COVID to you?”
Most of the 280 people terminated are contract employees who work on an as-needed basis. Ochsner Health officials say those employees in good standing would be eligible for rehire once they’re in compliance with Ochsner Health policy.
Stoecker says the Ochsner Health vaccination policy isn’t really all that strict given the alternative provisions for those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “Staff can apply for exemptions through religious or other reasons and then alternative protocols are put into place. They need to wear a mask, they need to be tested weekly, ” said Stoecker.
Stoecker says that even though Ochsner Health says 99 percent of its nearly 30 thousand employees are in compliance with its vaccine mandate there’s some lack of transparency in that statement. He says, “because that applies to both people who have been vaccinated and who have applied for an exemption and I haven’t seen any numbers from Ochsner breaking down how many have applied for and been given an exemption.”
Comments