“There’s so much ‘What if?’ out there, ‘says a nurse who wishes to remain anonymous. “June 7 is the deadline. It’s ‘take the vaccine’ or ‘pack your bags’. “
The nurse starts a petition in the hope of not accepting the mandatory vaccine requirement for all staff at Houston Methodist.
“We are not saying we will never get it, we just want more time,” the nurse said. “We want more research. We want it to be thoroughly approved by the FDA before we put it in our body.”
She said a group of staff members at her hospital are too scared to get the vaccine, but they are even more worried about losing their jobs. They feel that the vaccine should be a choice.
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“I’m actually fighting for anyone who’s too scared to talk right now,” she said.
Meanwhile, legal analyst Steve Shellist honestly said the nurses do not have many rights, especially not during a pandemic. He said the law is fairly clear and that the only exceptions include religious or health reasons.
“The hospital has the right to say, ‘If you are going to be in close contact with patients and other medical providers, you need to get a vaccine, and if you can not, you are not going to work here,'” he said. explain.
The president and CEO of Houston Methodist, dr. Marc Boom, said they owe it to his patients to put them first and make them feel safe, so the vaccine is 100% mandatory. Boom said the hospital stands by its decision and believes it is 100% safe and the best option.
Houston Methodist recently held a town hall for its employees to alleviate fears and answer questions.
“Working in healthcare is a privilege,” Boom said. “With privilege comes responsibility.”
As for the nurse, she said she takes her job seriously, but she only wants to take the vaccine on her own terms when she is ready.
“If someone wants to hire a good nurse, I’ll be happy to take on another job,” she said.
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