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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAlmost 5,000 Kaiser Permanente Health Care Employees Suspended for Refusing Vaccine
Health care conglomerate Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest health care consortiums, has suspended nearly 5,000 of its employees that have refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the company announced Tuesday.
"Kaiser Permanente has an obligation to our 550,000 members and patients in Colorado, 12.5 million members across the U.S., and to our employees, physicians and communities to ensure their safety and to protect them from infection," the company said in a press release.
Kaiser Permanente first announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on August 2, at which time the company reported that their vaccination rate was around 78 percent.
"Since [August 2], we have made remarkable progress," the statement continued. "More than 92% of our employees nationwide have been vaccinatedand the number continues to grow. Nearly 98% of all our active employees have responded to our request. The remaining two percent have been placed on unpaid administrative leave as of October 1 and have until December 1, 2021 to receive their vaccination and return to work."
https://www.newsweek.com/almost-5000-kaiser-permanente-health-care-employees-suspended-refusing-vaccine-1635921
msongs
(67,199 posts)threatening a walkout as the contract has expired
Lovie777
(11,992 posts)and anti-marks. I'm fed up. I tried to care, but no more.
Journeyman
(15,001 posts)The woman I was working with told me the entire hospital complex had been tied into a virtual meeting one morning to discuss the soon-to-be-released vaccines. It surprised her when the head of the hospital told them that 40% of the doctors and some 60% of the nurses had expressed reservations about getting the vaccine.
Now, this was before discussions about the vaccines were entered in earnest, a time when the Trumpanistas were still in charge, so I figured there were valid reasons to be hesitant. I had my reservations about it at that time. As well as certain misconceptions about it I had to research and resolve before I grew confident in the science. And I know, had Biden not taken over and issued assurances, I'm certain I wouldn't have gotten vaccinated as soon as I did.
But it doesn't surprise me there's still a sizable number of Kaiser employees who are resistant. I just hope they make better decisions I the next two months. Good, trained employees are hard to find. And as a nation, we need all the medical workers we can get these days.
mcar
(42,210 posts)There, I fixed Newsweek's headline.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)JohnSJ
(91,965 posts)maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)I guess I didn't know KP had "inactive" employees...
IronLionZion
(45,261 posts)have the option to come back in during emergency shortages if they choose.
maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)I didn't catch whether the
soldierant
(6,648 posts)That right there could be the difference between 92% and 98%. No, I didn't do the math, it's just a thought.
joetheman
(1,450 posts)C Moon
(12,188 posts)calimary
(80,700 posts)If you dont get the jab, youre a prick.
AllaN01Bear
(17,383 posts)good on kaiser.
BootinUp
(46,928 posts)Sorry anti-vaxxer.
TomDaisy
(1,828 posts)I just learned this recently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_J._Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of the companies that built Hoover Dam.[citation needed] He established the Kaiser Shipyards, which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel.[1] Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care for his workers and their families. He led Kaiser-Frazer followed by Kaiser Motors, automobile companies known for the safety of their designs. Kaiser was involved in large construction projects such as civic centers and dams, and invested in real estate, later moving into television broadcasting. With his wealth, he established the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan, charitable organization.[citation needed]
...
At Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California, Kaiser implemented the pioneering idea of Dr. Sidney Garfield of Kaiser Permanente. Opened on August 10, 1942, Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital for Kaiser Shipyards was financed by the U.S. Maritime Commission, sponsored by Henry J. Kaiser's Permanente Foundation, and run by Dr. Garfield.[15] In part because of wartime materials rationing, the Field Hospital was a single-story wood frame structure designed in a simple modernist mode. Originally intended for use primarily as an emergency facility, the Field Hospital opened with only 10 beds. Later additions had increased its capacity to 160 beds by 1944.[16]
Kaiser's Richmond Field Hospital served as the mid-level component of a three-tier medical care system that included six well-equipped First Aid Stations at the shipyards and the main Permanente Hospital in Oakland, where the most critical cases were treated. By August 1944, 92.2% of all Richmond shipyard employees had joined Kaiser Permanente, the first voluntary group plan in the country to feature group medical practice, prepayment, and substantial medical facilities on such a large scale.[16] After the war, the Health Plan was expanded to include workers' families. To serve employees at his diverse businesses, Kaiser opened Permanente facilities in Walnut Creek, California, in Hawaii,[17] in Southern California, and eventually in many other locations.[18] Since then, locations have opened in Dublin, California;[19] Livermore, California; Pleasanton, California; Martinez, California; Santa Clara, California; and Antioch, California.[20]
...
Kaiser fought Hitler far more directly with what he is most famous for: the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California; during World War II adapting production techniques to enable building cargo ships with an average construction time of 45 days. These ships became known as Liberty ships and were later supplemented in the mid-war period by improved, larger and faster Victory ships. He became world-renowned when his teams built a ship in four days.[6][7]
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Kaiser was one of the key people responsible for helping us beat Hitler in World War II. The US shipbuilding effort was floundering. He is the one who came in and made it work -- he was able to greatly accelerate production of ships based on process ideas shared by Henry Ford.
BootinUp
(46,928 posts)Obviously I did not
AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)there is new generation waiting for these jobs to open.
TomDaisy
(1,828 posts)ShazzieB
(15,958 posts)I want to scream at people like this: "Hey, blockhead! What the hell are you doing working in health care if you don't believe in the science that modern health care is based on?"
If they really have so little faith in modern medical science, they don't belong in the field.