Community hospital’s new policy mandates flu vaccine for employees; some do not support it

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A new policy requires Central Michigan Community Hospital employees to receive the influenza vaccine.

All staff and volunteers must receive the vaccine by Oct. 31, or they may opt out because of medical, religious or personal reasons. If employees or volunteers do not receive a vaccine, they will consequently be required to wear a face mask for the flu season, which is from November to March, regardless of their opinion, said Nicole Sanders, marketing and community relations specialist.

“Our goal for doing this is to protect vulnerable patients, with patient care being our number one concern,” she said.

Sheri Myers, CMCH vice president of Patient Care Services, said influenza has by far the highest rate of mortality among infectious diseases nationally.

“Since the flu spreads from person-to-person contact, it is important to get vaccinated,” she said.

Myers said it is rare for people to acquire the flu after getting the shot, but people may experience mild side effects such as temporary soreness.

“As a health care institution, we have the ethical and moral responsibility to protect vulnerable patients,” she said. “The most effective strategy for this is requiring the annual vaccine.”

Myers said CMCH is late to adopt the policy compared to other institutions, but the community should expect it and prefer it.

She said most people will not want to wear the mask, so it may help encourage participation in receiving the vaccine.

“If it doesn’t sit well with the staff, we are fully prepared to stand strong for our patients,” Myers said.

But Shela Khan Monroe, Michigan Nurses Association labor relations specialist, said MNA, which represents over 10,000 Michigan nurses, does not support this new policy.

“The hospital abandoned the Virginia Mason policy by not giving employees the option of whether or not to wear the mask,” she said. “There is a large number of nurses concerned because they medically cannot take the flu shot and they feel they are being ostracized.”

Confidentiality concerning employee medical conditions is another playing factor because those who wear the face mask will be designated as not vaccinated, she said.

“We are in full support of protecting patients’ wellness, but we do not support the unilateral implementation of having to wear a mask if not given the vaccine,” she said.

She said because hospitals are public entities, usually patients and visitors, who aren’t required to be vaccinated, outweigh the staff. Instead of requiring the vaccine, there should be a more proactive, educational approach of preventing the flu.

Khan Monroe said the MNA is currently trying to address the policy and find some middle ground both parties can agree on.