Doctors & Nurses at Hendrick Health Could be Fired Because of Covid Vaccine Mandate

ABILENE, TX –– As vaccine mandates continue to impact industries across the United States, the healthcare industry is fast approaching the first deadline for employees to receive the first Covid-19 vaccine.

In Abilene, Hendrick Health will also be required to comply with the rules set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Shannon Medical Center made a similar announcement on Thursday.

Local media obtained an email sent to all employees that detail the vaccine requirements. According to the hospital, employees must submit proof of immunization to Employee Wellness before midnight on Sunday, December 5th.

Employees who choose to not receive the vaccine will be required to resign by Friday, December 3rd.

In response to media inquires, Hendrick Health issued the following statement.

“Hendrick Health is among 76,000 healthcare providers and more than 17 million healthcare workers across the country who are bound by President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandate carried out by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule, effective Nov. 5, 2021."

"This federal mandate requires entities covered by CMS’s Conditions of Participation, Conditions for Coverage, or Requirements for Participation to establish a policy requiring eligible staff to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 5, 2021, and be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022. CMS is a federal agency that regulates Hendrick Health’s operations and administers the nation’s major healthcare programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and other governmental payors."

"Although Hendrick Health firmly believes that the vaccine continues to be the best path forward in reducing hospitalizations and death associated with COVID-19, the vaccine has always been optional at Hendrick Health, a philosophy that the Board of Trustees and Administration has fully supported."