125 staff members part with Indiana’s largest hospital system after refusing vaccine

Indiana University Health, the state’s largest hospital system, has announced that 125 staff are no longer employed there after refusing to comply with the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“Indiana University Health has put the safety and well-being of patients and team members at the forefront by requiring that employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 1,” IU Health said. in a September 16 press release. “After an unpaid two-week suspension period ending September 14, a total of 125 employees, the equivalent of 61 full-time employees, chose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and left the organization. . “

Although the statement did not specify whether the workers quit or were fired, a spokesperson for IU Health told Newsweek that the employees who refused to be shot had quit.

The Epoch Times contacted IU Health with a request to confirm whether employees have resigned or been fired, but did not receive an immediate response.

“Most of the employees who have chosen not to be vaccinated have worked part-time, less than part-time or have not worked for several months and will have minimal effect on staff,” the spokesperson said. Word to Newsweek, adding that on Friday all employees of IU Health were complying with the vaccination mandate.

IU Health, which operates 15 hospitals and dozens of outpatient clinics statewide, employs approximately 36,000 people.

Two weeks ago, IU Health announced that around 300 employees had been suspended and could return to work if they received a partial or full COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

In June, IU Health announced that it would require all doctors, nurses and other staff to be fully immunized against COVID-19, joining more than 150 hospital systems nationwide to issue immunization warrants to patients. employees.

The IU Health announcement came the same day some two dozen Republican attorneys general wrote a letter (pdf) to President Joe Biden, warning of impending legal action if his proposed vaccine requirement for dozens of million Americans goes into effect.

Biden’s broad mandate for private sector employees, healthcare workers and federal contractors would require companies with more than 100 employees to vaccinate their staff against COVID-19 or be tested weekly for the disease. The program would be implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“Your plan is disastrous and counterproductive,” prosecutors wrote in the letter to Biden, adding that the vaccine edict “is also illegal.”

“If your administration does not change its course, the attorneys general of the undersigned state will seek all available legal options to hold you to account and uphold the rule of law,” they wrote.

Republican leaders, as well as some union leaders, criticized Biden for the move, accusing him of going too far.