A group of demonstrators gathered near United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia, this week in protest of vaccine mandates imposed upon healthcare workers.
WBOY described the group as “some current and former UHC employees.” Demonstrators held signs, one reading “2020 = Hero 2021 = Fired!”
Michelle Cross, a registered nurse who is unemployed due to her vaccination status, said healthcare workers are being “coerced” to take the vaccine and essentially having their concerns disregarded.
“We’ve made a choice that the vaccine is not right for us. [That] doesn’t mean it’s not right for everybody, but it’s not right for us. We’re being coerced. We’re being bribed,” Cross said.
“We’re being forced to take a vaccine that we’ve made a medical decision isn’t appropriate for us,” she added.
Heidi James, another registered nurse, said the mandate is “causing a lot of good, hardworking, honest employees to be forced out, fired and forced out of their job.”
In August, the West Virginia University Health System announced that employees must be fully vaccinated for the Chinese coronavirus by October 31.
“We’re doing this because it is the right thing to do. We are the state’s leading healthcare provider and largest employer, and we have a higher obligation to our patients as well as to each other,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said in a statement.
“I want WVU Medicine hospitals and clinics to be as safe as possible for our patients and staff. A fully vaccinated workforce will help ensure that safety,” he added.
The hospital, however, is continuing to stand firm in its decision, despite the protests.
“We respect people’s rights to express their feelings and opinions on this topic, but a public health crisis demands a public health response,” United Hospital Center’s director of public relations, Matt Chisler, said.
“Our providers are on the frontlines caring for the people in this community; we cannot have them sidelined due to COVID as doing so jeopardizes patient care,” he added. “The FDA-approved vaccine, which hundreds of millions of Americans have received, is safe and effective.”
The protests come as other hospital systems in other states implement similar mandates. Recently, North Carolina’s Novant Health made headlines after firing 175 employees who failed to adhere to the vaccine mandate.
“We stand by our decision to make the vaccine mandatory as we have a responsibility to protect our patients, visitors and team members, regardless of where they are in our health system,” Novant Health said in a statement.