The Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic fired more than 700 employees who refused to comply with the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate just weeks after nurses across the state begged hospitals to do more to address their “staffing crisis.”
“While Mayo Clinic is saddened to lose valuable employees, we need to take all steps necessary to keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe,” the Mayo Clinic said in a statement. “If individuals released from employment choose to get vaccinated at a later date, the opportunity exists for them to apply and return to Mayo Clinic for future job openings.”
Just a few weeks prior, the Minnesota Nurses Association held a press conference begging hospital CEOs to do more to address the healthcare system’s “staffing and retention crisis.”
“To our hospital CEOs and elected officials, please hear us: Nurses need more than words, we need action to address the crisis of staffing and retention in Minnesota hospitals,” said Mary Turner, the union’s president and a COVID-19 intensive care unit nurse.
Several other parts of the country are facing similar staffing crises as unvaccinated workers are forced to leave their jobs and vaccinated employees fall ill from COVID-19. In Rhode Island, the state’s health department changed its guidance to allow COVID-positive healthcare workers “with mild symptoms” to keep working to assuage any staffing issues.
Other states have had to call in the National Guard to help hospital staff. In New York, for example, where tens of thousands of healthcare workers were fired for not getting vaccinated, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was prepared to send medically-trained National Guard troops to replace the fired healthcare workers.
“The only way we can move past this pandemic is to ensure that everyone eligible is vaccinated,” she said in a statement defending the decision.
