OR Manager November/December 2021 - 34

AMBULATORY
SURGERY CENTERS
Continued from page 33
" I felt this was a no-win situation, " a nurse's
perspective
The COVID 19 mandate has been one of the
most challenging issues I have faced in my
career as a nurse. As the compliance officer
of SurgeryDirect, LLC, and the compliance
officer for the surgery centers our company
manages, I was charged with researching
and developing a policy that met Colorado
state regulations, which went into effect on
October 1.
As I was researching the state mandate,
President Joe Biden announced a federal
mandate. Providers and healthcare organizations
were awaiting a federal draft final rule,
which was officially released in November.
The rule states that all eligible staff must be
vaccinated by January 4, 2022.
Being in limbo and waiting on the federal
mandate requirements to be published
made it a little tough to create policy and
procedures for our organization that covered
both the state and federal regulations.
Public safety and patient safety are at
the forefront of every nurse's mind. Even as
a rule follower, I struggle to understand why
the mandate had to take place. I am protecting
myself from the unvaccinated; but I am
not sure that is a true statement. It will stop
the pandemic; but again, I am not sure that
is a true statement either. My daughter-inlaw
is fully vaccinated and just got cleared to
return to work after ten days on lockdown for
testing positive.
The truth is all I want to hear.
In our organization, we had five key
employees identify as not being vaccinated
and insisting that they would not get the
vaccine.
We heard:
➤ I am not getting vaccinated because it
is against my religious belief.
➤ I cannot put a vaccine in my body made
from aborted fetal cells. The data on
this topic took me back to my ethics
class, where Henrietta Lacks, the Immortal
Woman's cells, are still being
grown and used in research.
➤ I will not be coerced into taking a
vaccine that is not [Food and Drug
Administration] FDA-approved. The FDA
approved a Pfizer vaccine, but I read it
is not used in the United States.
➤ It is my constitutional right to determine
what I do and do not do with my body.
➤ The team members not vaccinated can
keep their patients and themselves safe
with personal protective equipment.
Why force us to get vaccinated when
we worked through the pandemic for
months with no protection.
➤ I have had COVID, and I am not taking
the vaccine.
As a leader, I felt this was a no-win
situation. Staying as neutral as possible
while supporting team members was the
only way to move forward and help everyone
affected survive.
The nursing shortage is a reality that we
are facing. With the mandate, some areas in
the country and specific organizations may
face shutdowns of beds and decrease the
number of patients a hospital can admit. I
ask myself daily if this is really what our state
and federal governments want.
We are beginning flu season and will
probably face another surge of COVID-19
as the winter months approach. For some
organizations, it could take a long time to
recover from the unintended consequences
of healthcare professionals walking away.
-Beverly Kirchner, BSN, RN,
CNOR, CNAMB
Knowledge is power
Healthcare institutions face the great
challenge of providing accurate information
on vaccines while respecting
everyone's fundamental right to make
their own healthcare decisions without
coercion or undue external pressure,
says Dr Stirton. He advises that all
facilities have an informed consent process.
This should include an unbiased
presentation of the risks, benefits, and
alternatives of the intervention just as it
does with any other medical intervention.
" Moreover, in trying to reach people,
we must take great care to maintain
patient confidentiality and the privacy
of healthcare information, and to avoid
HIPAA violations. Balancing these fundamental
principles with an aggressive
vaccine campaign can be very difficult.
But it's essential, " he adds.
Similar to other health systems, The
University of Kansas Health System
has been reaching out to employees
through town halls, smaller group meetings,
as well as Zoom and team meetings.
There are opportunities to ask
questions and voice concerns, with the
option to remain anonymous.
Dr Kumer has heard a wide range
of grievances and feedback from these
meetings. " Some people have concerns
about their own medical wellbeing.
Or they're immunocompromised and
don't want to get it, " even though they
probably stand to benefit most from
vaccination.
Hearing questions about the effects
of the vaccine on pregnancy, the chair
of OB-GYN and head of the neonatal
intensive care unit at The University of
Kansas Health System met with these
individuals to allay fears and straighten
the record about the effects on unborn
children. Clinical trials have shown that
the vaccine is not harmful to the fetus,
Dr Kumer says.
Everyone has free will, and they have
the choice to get the vaccine or not, Dr
Kumer adds. In his view, it comes down
34
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