MANY NURSES NOT INTERESTED IN MANDATED FLU SHOTS
THE VINDICATION OF NURSE DB
“Organizations such as the American Hospital Association and American Academy of Family Physicians support mandatory flu vaccines for healthcare workers, with exceptions in the case of health or religious opposition. But nurses have provided some of the most vocal opposition to such mandates.” From an article on Health Leaders Media called How to Sidestep Hospital Flu Shot Mandate.
This particular hospital has a Flu Vaccination rate of just over 3/4 (77%). And despite all the gimmicks they’ve tried, they can’t seem to push it any higher — something that most entities (schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc) are scrambling to do, with federal monies being increasingly tied to vaccination rates. This means that of Bingham’s 3,200 nurses, almost 800 have opted not to receive the Flu Shots. What could possibly make so many educated and seemingly intelligent people so loathe to vaccinate? We’ll get to that momentarily, but first I want to talk about the law itself.
In order to get the Flu Shot actually ‘mandated’ in Massachusetts healthcare workers, the laws will have to be changed. According to Mass.gov’s “Immunization Guidelines” (Adult Occupational Immunizations: Massachusetts Recommendations and Requirements for 2014), the statute currently reads, “Licensed health care facilities shall offer influenza vaccine at no cost to all employees and ensure that an employee who declines vaccination signs a statement declining vaccination and affirming that s/he received information about the risks and benefits of vaccination.” Pretty simple. You don’t want a Flu Shot, you sign a waiver and move on. No muss, no fuss, no harassment, loss of job, or jail time. But let’s get back to the question I left hanging in the previous paragraph.
If you are wondering why almost a quarter of the nurses at Bringham are declining these shots — shots that are admittedly not much better than 50% effective at preventing Flu (see the quote at the top of the page) — take a few minutes to browse THESE POSTS on Flu Vaccines and their many complications / side effects. Not only is it an eye-opener, but I can assure you that the Flu is not nearly as dangerous as we have been led to believe (HERE is a short article on this subject by a physician who actually lives in Massachusetts). By the way, all of us who continue to fight this battle tip our hats to you D!.
