Thousands of hospitals have announced COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff and clinicians as a condition of employment over the past few months during the Pandemic. Mandate announcements really kicked into gear when the Biden administration made workforce vaccination a requirement for Medicare and Medicaid participation — a legally contentious decision that was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Despite that we are now in 2023, far from it being the end of the pandemic (as hoped by many) some facilities still must have the entirety of their staff fully vaccinated. The Sarasota Memorial Hospital is the latest healthcare system requiring its employees and volunteers to get the shot. Employees at the facility who are unvaccinated have to decide whether to risk their jobs or get the jab.
Now, describing a stressful, toxic work environment, risks to patient safety, and abusive behavior by senior physicians, Sarasota Memorial employees are raising concerns about a hospital that is in deep crisis.
Staff members at Sarasota Memorial spoke to The Florida Standard under the condition of anonymity for the fear of reprisal.
According to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Florida Standard, one of the most notable incidents involves a complaint against Dr. Daniel B. Case, who was accused of harassment by a staff member regarding the employee’s choice not to be vaccinated in September 2021.
Adding, “because that’s my freedom of choice,” the employee replied “no,” when asked if they would get shots, as the letter says.
“You guys are the reason why people are dying and why COVID is spreading,” Dr. Case allegedly said, in response.
When asked if he is a fascist, Dr. Case allegedly replied with the latter. There is no relationship between the employee and the doctor in whom such comments could be considered a joke, as the employee insisted.
In 2021 in an effort to persuade those who are not vaccinated — to get immunized; the organization created a list of unvaccinated employees and then subjected them to a “re-education session” led by other employees.
Unvaccinated employees were instructed to “isolate during meal times,” according to a letter sent to the staff, and a color-coded sticker system (that was never implemented) would be applied to employee badges.
One physician also complained, stating that Dr. Jonathan Hoffberger, a cardiac surgeon, “yells at unvaccinated patients” and “refuses to perform open-heart surgery” on patients who haven’t received an mRNA injection. As other staff members claimed that Hoffberger promotes a hostile work environment.
Criticizing those who wished to perform their “own research,” Hoffberger had several social media posts. With an attached image promoting vaccination, Hoffberger’s Facebook post reads, “STOP DOING ‘YOUR OWN RESEARCH.'”
With the photo that says, “Myth: ‘I’ve had COVID-19, so I don’t need to be vaccinated because I have antibodies.”
The Sarasota Memorial’s public relations manager, Kim Savage, provided the following statement to The Florida Standard:
“Much of the misinformation being spread in the community is designed to erode trust in a health system that has taken care of this community for nearly a century. The allegations are unfounded, untrue and undermine the award-winning patient care Sarasota Memorial and its dedicated and diligent physicians and staff are known for delivering. A review of how we responded to the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic demonstrates the successful care that SMH has provided COVID patients since 2020, with clinical outcomes that outperformed national and regional hospital benchmarks and saved thousands of additional lives.”
Sources: TheBlaze, The Florida Standard, Dnyuz