A statement from the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) condemns the COVID vaccination mandates that have been rolling out in many Minnesota hospitals. The statement said that they believe that “voluntary vaccination programs” along with putting measures in place to keep staff and patients healthy are the most “optimal.”
The press release was written on September 8, prior to the Biden administration’s official stance on mandatory vaccinations for all hospitals and healthcare centers that take Medicare or Medicaid insurance came out on September 9.
According to its statement, “The Minnesota Nurses Association believes that voluntary vaccination programs along with other essential infection control measures such as optimal personal protective equipment, contact tracing, rapid testing and results, adequate staffing, hygiene, environmental controls, isolation policies, and paid COVID leave for healthcare workers who need to quarantine are the most effective strategy for a healthy population and that all those who can be vaccinated should be.”
The association said it believes “that hospitals and other healthcare institutions have a responsibility to provide all these measures to keep both workers and patients safe.”
The MNA said, “Unfortunately, hospitals across our state and country have abandoned that responsibility in lieu of cost cutting measures that have left our facilities unprepared for the current crisis we are facing.”
MNA also called out hospitals and healthcare providers for “years of deliberate under staffing, increasing threats of workplace violence and lack of autonomy over their profession.” It said that it questions “the timing of the impending vaccine mandates and believe these mandates will continue to exacerbate staffing shortages.”
According to the MNA Board of Directors, the association surveyed MNA members asking what their positions were on the possibility of mandatory vaccination programs being put forth by several Minnesota hospitals. The results of the survey showed that opinions among Minnesota nurses varied widely, and there was no unifying consensus reading the implementation of mandatory COVID vaccinations.
The board of directors stated that it does “not believe members are unified around any one position either for or against the mandatory vaccination programs.”
The MNA called hospitals and healthcare workers to “get back to healing the patient.” “It’s time for our healthcare system to get back to healing the patient and upholding their responsibility to workers,” MNA said.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “MNA Statement” by Minnesota Nurses Association. Background Photo “Vaccination” by U.S. Secretary of Defense CC BY 2.0.
