Are You Ready? - HHS To Stop Requiring Vaccines In Hospitals

The Department of Health and Human Services has decided to drop a controversial COVID-19 vaccine mandate for hospitals. This rule required healthcare institutions that receive government funding to vaccinate their staff against the virus. 

While some saw this as a necessary measure to protect healthcare workers and patients, others strongly opposed it, claiming it infringed upon their medical choices and could lead to staff shortages. 

Regardless of one's stance on the issue, this decision will clearly have significant implications for the healthcare industry. 

The Vaccine Mandate For The Military Ended | Will Healthcare Be Next? (Video)

The vaccine mandate in the military was recently rescinded, sparking conversation about whether other mandatory policies, such as healthcare, could follow. 

Vaccinations have become commonplace in healthcare due to the need for universal protection from potentially deadly diseases. 

Despite this, there is an uprising amongst healthcare professionals who believe that vaccination should remain a choice for all citizens. 

Thus, it will be interesting to observe if any changes are made across other sectors of American healthcare following the exemption given within America's military. 

Check out the video below, and feel free to leave a comment. 

The Pandemic is Over? (Video)

It's been over two years since the pandemic began, and it feels like we've lived in constant fear and uncertainty for far too long. So, it's understandable that people are relieved to hear President Biden say that the "pandemic is over." 

But the President's declaration is causing mixed reactions. 

St. Charles Health System in Oregon has announced the rolling back of its vaccine mandate for hospital staff. But Governor Pritzker of Illinois has reissued his state's emergency pandemic powers. 

Hopefully, we will all get on the same page in the coming weeks. 

From Behind the Desk to Behind a Mop | All Hands on Deck at Hospital Due to Increased Covid 19 Cases (Video)

The rising COVID-19 cases have caused all hands on deck at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. 

Office workers recently left their desks behind and began doing nonmedical tasks normally performed by medical personnel or support staff. 

Over 170 employees volunteered to take on extra duties for at least one month during this record-breaking period to relieve staffing shortages.

The Supreme Court Has Spoken.....(Video)

 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses - a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans - while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities.

The vote was 5-4 to allow the healthcare worker rule, which requires vaccination for about 10.3 million workers at 76,000 healthcare facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes that accept money from the Medicare and Medicaid government health insurance programs for elderly, disabled, and low-income Americans. 

CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccination at Discharge (Video)

According to AHA News, the CDC encourages hospitals, emergency departments, and emergency care facilities to administer COVID-19 vaccines to unvaccinated patients at discharge.

The CDC said that cities should allocate vaccines to medical facilities with patients who have higher vulnerabilities.

Treat the Vaccinated Over The Unvaccinated (Video)

Should hospitals running low on beds and staff prioritize vaccinated COVID-19 patients before the unvaccinated?

No.

This video talks about how it would never work because hospital staff doesn’t think like that. We don’t punish people.

We treat people. We help people. That’s what we do. 

The First Domino Has Dropped | NY Hospital to Close Maternity Ward After Staff Resigns over Vaccine Mandate (Video)

 

A New York hospital had to close its Maternity Unit after seven employees resigned over the mandatory vaccination for all healthcare workers. 

To make matters worse, seven more employees within that department still have not indicated whether they will get vaccinated or resign. 

And on top of that, an additional 165 employees in the hospital may resign, possibly forcing the hospital to close five more departments. 

The dominos are beginning to drop, and we shall see how this plays out. 

Houston Hospital Suspends 178 Employees for Refusing the Vaccine (Video)

This is a follow-up to a blog post in May about some hospital employees suing their hospital for requiring all employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Fast forward to today, and those employees plus others who refused the vaccine have been suspended. 

In this video, I'll share my thoughts on this Houston hospital suspending 178 employees with no pay for 2 weeks. 

Which Contactless Medical Technologies Will Disappear and Which Ones Will Remain?

I was reading an article about what contactless medical technologies some hospital CIOs think will stick around after the pandemic and which ones will disappear. 

Hospitals' COVID-19 infection control efforts include contactless technologies to reduce virus transmission. Below are four hospital CIOs' thoughts about which tools will remain in use once the pandemic is over and which ones will be phased out. 

Read more on Becker's Hospital Review.

Employees Suing Hospital For Mandating the Covid 19 Vaccines (Video)

A while ago, I made a video about companies paying employees to take the Covid 19 vaccine.

States and businesses are bribing people to take the vaccine with either lottery winnings or food. 

And of course, now we are at the point when hospitals are starting to mandate the vaccine. But employees are fighting back - by suing. 

Click here to read more.

Inside The COVID ICU

 

This article accurately describes what it's like working in a COVID-19 ICU. So, if you want to know what it is like day to day in the COVID ICU, then click the link. https://isthmus.com/sponsored/COVID-photo-essay/

Run Me My Money. Getting Paid to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine (Video)

With employees reluctant to take COVID-19, hospitals are devising creative ways to incentivize them to do so. Some are offering cold, hard cash, while others are threatening to take away PTO (Personal Time Off).

Employers will not fire employees for refusing to take it simply because hospitals are short-staffed anyway, and if they really wanted to, they wouldn't be offering money. 

I think they should have given the vaccine to those who wanted it first, like the elderly, instead of the skeptical frontline workers. 

Thousands Overdue for Second Dose of Covid-19 Vaccine (Video)

 

Have you taken the vaccination yet?

Death During the Pandemic (Video)

Everything that we were used to before the pandemic has changed. 

Before:

•  A patient dies
• Their body is cleaned and sent to the morgue - or -
• Their body is washed and prepared for the funeral home to come and pick up the body
• The unit staff continues to work. 
• The family makes funeral arrangement and the friends and family comes and pays their final respects to the deceased.  

After:

• A patient dies from the Coronavirus.
• There is minimum contact with the body.
• The staff calls the family to let them know that the patient is deceased and asks for the name of a funeral home.
• The patient's body is moved to the morgue.
• The family quickly makes modified funeral arrangments, whether it's a church funeral, a graveside funeral, or cremation. 
• There are very few friends and family to pay their respects for many reasons: health issues, afraid to travel by air, or other reasons. 

Celebrities and the Unit Secretary (Video)

When the news broke early Friday morning that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were both diagnosed with the Coronavirus, people worldwide were concerned. 

When the President was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, people worldwide became troubled. 

Unit Secretaries must remember that President Trump, the leader of the free world, is also a celebrity and a person. His medical information and privacy should be everyone's number one priority. 

Will You Take The Coronavirus Vaccine?

Some hospitals might mandate their employees to take the vaccine, just like some require the flu shot.

Last year, I made a video discussing whether you should take the flu shot.

I think the pushback and the fight will be even more vicious if the Coronavirus Vaccine is required simply because people are highly suspicious of this virus and its numbers (people testing positive or dying) and because it hasn’t been tested long enough.

And do not think that hospitals will not try to force their employees to get the vaccine. Hospitals depend on Medicare money, and if Medicare says everyone has to take it, then the medical facility might do what they say.

What Comes After the Pandemic? The 6 Stages of a Disaster (Video)

The pandemic we are seeing didn't happen overnight. Any" disaster" has phases.

1. Pre-disaster Phase
2. Impact Phase
3. Heroic Phase
4. Honeymoon Phase
5. Disillusionment Phase
6. Reconstruction Phase

In this video, I'll explain those phases and how they apply to those in the medical field, the United States, and the world.  

The Coronavirus and the DNR Ethical Dilemma (Video)

Hospitals across the country—and the world—are facing an ethical question when faced with this pandemic and a shortage of ventilators and PPE: Who lives and who dies?

I also discuss how some medical facilities conduct temperature checks on visitors and employees and how the Governor of Florida is ordering all residents fleeing New York to Florida to self-quarantine for 14 days. Let’s see how this turns out. 

The Coronavirus and the Unit Secretary (Video)

In this video, I discuss everything I see as this outbreak continues.