A Moment of Truth: Will the End of CMS' Vaccine Mandate Ease Workforce Shortages?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role that healthcare workers play in keeping society healthy and safe. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for all healthcare workers to protect staff and patients. While this was a necessary step, it also resulted in many workers leaving their positions rather than getting vaccinated. 

Now that the mandate has been lifted, some hope this will ease healthcare workforce shortages. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be the case. While some workers may return to their jobs, others may have already moved on to other industries or decided not to return to healthcare. 

Only time will tell if the end of the CMS vaccine mandate will significantly impact workforce shortages.

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The vaccine mandate in the military was recently rescinded, sparking conversation about whether other mandatory policies, such as healthcare, could follow.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

22 States Petition HHS and CMS to Lift Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers (video)

A group of 22 states led by the Montana attorney general has urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to lift the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the Medicare and Medicaid space.

The states include Montana, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

They filed their petition asking the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to repeal the mandate and any associated guidance requiring the staff at healthcare organizations to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In the petition, the attorney general stated that the vaccine mandate significantly limited many patients' access to necessary medical care services. The mandates also decreased healthcare workers' employment opportunities, forcing them to choose to become vaccinated or unemployed.

Some believe that lifting the vaccine mandate has advantages and disadvantages. The upside is that it might slightly increase staff availability; the downside is that it may increase patients' unwillingness to allow unvaccinated workers to treat them.

But not everyone agrees. Some have said that every employer struggles to fill their ranks, so it's fair to blame the staffing shortage on the HHS or the vaccine mandates.

But overall, many believe that there isn't a chance that the vaccine mandate will be removed.

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. 

Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers (Video)

Are you a healthcare worker? Concerned about the new vaccine mandates from CMS?

A federal judge has blocked the mandate, giving you more time to decide. Whether for or against vaccines, we can all agree that everyone should have the right to choose. So don't let anyone else decide what's best for you - make up your mind and learn more about the vaccine mandates in this video.

Colorado Hospital Refuses Kidney Transplant to Woman Over Vaccine Refusal (Video)

A Colorado hospital system says it is denying organ transplants to patients who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 “in almost all situations” under a new policy.

UCHealth, which operates hospitals and urgent care facilities throughout the state, confirmed to The Post on Wednesday that organ transplant recipients and living donors must now be vaccinated against COVID-19 before undergoing procedures.

The health system said the driving force behind the policy change was studies showing transplant patients are more likely to die if they contract COVID-19. The mortality rate for transplant patients who get COVID-19 is more than 20 percent, according to UCHealth.

And this hospital is not the first and will not be the last. Let's watch and see how this plays out. 

Unvaccinated Nursing Students Face Hurdles Getting Degrees (Video)

Some nursing students who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 struggle to complete their clinical training and degrees. 

Some nursing schools say it's been more challenging to place unvaccinated students in healthcare facilities that will accept them.

Some of our fellow Unit Secretaries are working and going to nursing school simultaneously. 

In my opinion, this mandate will only contribute to the nursing shortage that was present before the pandemic. 

It Has Begun | Unvaccinated New York Healthcare Workers Either Terminated or Placed on Unpaid Leave (Video)

As the Sept. 27 deadline for New York state's healthcare COVID-19 vaccination mandate approached, many workers rushed to get vaccinated.

But some refused and were either fired or suspended without pay. And they may not qualify for unemployment.

And some hospitals that lost employees had to deal with the fallout immediately, halting elective surgeries and closing departments.

There are hospitals all over the country mandating the vaccine for their employees, and some are facing the same fallout, and others are not.

So we will see how all of this plays out.