CMS mandate driving a wedge between health care, workers

Editor's note: This editorial was written and printed before Monday's announcement of an injunction being placed on the CMS vaccine mandate.

The space between a rock and a hard place is not a good place to be.
That’s where local health care administrators find themselves these days in light of a very troubling federal mandate that all in-house employees, contracted employees and vendors must take the COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 5. That mandate is bad policy reflecting inconsistent philosophies that completely ignore the primary function of health care facilities large and small across the country, which is to provide quality care for residents and patients.
Last week’s ANR coverage described the reaction to this latest development from administrators at Memorial Community Health and Westfield Quality Care, who both voiced frustration for being forced to implement policies which threaten to drive a wedge between them and the employees they respect and admire. They, like the employees they so desperately need to provide compassion and care to friends and neighbors in our community, have no choice in the matter.
MCHI and Westfield simply cannot operate without Medicare and Medicaid, which are governed by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) forcing this mandate. Thus, they have no choice. Similarly, employees are not being given a testing option or Plan B, but rather a clear dictate — get the vaccine or lose your job. 
Between these two local organizations an estimated 60 employees were unvaccinated when this mandate was issued. It’s gut-wrenching to think of so many local residents facing this decision and what it might mean to their personal and professional lives. It’s also troubling to the core to think of the impact on local health care if they ultimately decide not to roll up their sleeves and get the shot.
Americans have had to learn to agree to disagree on so many fronts since this pandemic hit, but this issue stirs a broad consensus. Local health care administrators say this mandate is wrong and unnecessary, and I agree!

-- Kurt Johnson