UPDATE: 6:00 p.m. (KNSI) – CentraCare Health now states they’ve placed an estimated 250 to 300 staff on a leave of absence for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate. CentraCare says as of December 16, 100 percent of its staff and clinicians are compliant with the vaccine requirement. CentraCare’s vendors, traveling clinical staff and locum tenens physicians are also compliant.
Original Story:
(KNSI) – CentraCare Health’s vaccine mandate is now in effect; however, the medical provider hasn’t released the number of employees who weren’t in compliance.
Earlier this year, the medical provider announced that all employees at St. Cloud Hospital and other facilities would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Kristen is one of the nurses who refused to take the vaccine.
“They brought me in to say are you going to get the vaccine? Can you get the vaccine? If you’re not going to get the vaccine we’re putting you on unpaid administrative leave for up to a year. Just because I won’t get a vaccine.”
She says CentraCare told her she wouldn’t be eligible to collect unemployment. Nurse Kristen says she doesn’t believe she needs to take the vaccine because she’s already protected.
“I have natural immunity. I had COVID. I got it from a patient I took care of a year ago. I actually have natural immunity. God gave it to me, it’s the best thing out there.”
Medical experts from CentraCare have repeatedly said that natural immunity isn’t as effective as the immune response from a vaccine. Nurse Kristen claims that nurses haven’t been allowed to record adverse reactions from the vaccine despite requests on how.
CentraCare Health COVID-19 Incident Commander Dr. Geroge Morris says the vaccine mandate is necessary.
“These are decisions that we made and I’m part of the we. I participated in the decion as a leader by looking at what is the safest decision we can make for our patients, community and our staff. And the safest decision is to require vaccines for our employees.”
CentraCare Health released a statement about the Mandate:
“In August, CentraCare announced it would make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for its employees, volunteers, students, and clinicians. As a health system, we are accountable for the well-being of everyone in our communities and committed to doing what it takes to end the devastating impact of a virus that has claimed far too many lives.
As of today, the vast majority of CentraCare employees are in compliance with our vaccine requirement: 97% and counting. Those who have chosen not to become vaccinated by the Dec. 15 deadline have been placed on a leave of absence, with the option to return to CentraCare should their vaccination status change in the months ahead.
Our decision to require the vaccine was determined after carefully listening to all perspectives and was based on CentraCare’s commitment to serve and care for our patients, to help protect our communities, and to provide for the safety, security and health of our employees and other staff.”
CentraCare has declined to release the number of staff who are no longer being scheduled because they didn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine despite multiple requests.
Nurse Kristen says she plans to cash out her retirement and pay off her house. After that, she plans to do some volunteering.
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