Renée Mullen is science savvy, and she was totally caught off guard by some totally unscientific public policy. Mullen has a PhD and taught in the science department at Eureka College for years. She has conducted scientific research around the world.
Yet when she was in North Carolina recently helping her parents after her father’s emergency heart surgery, she was stunned by what she encountered – stunned from both a scientific perspective and an emotional perspective.
Mullen’s father is 91. While still in the hospital after surgery, he was given a list of home healthcare providers covered by Medicare and told to select one. He selected the company with the highest rating, Amedisys.
Mullen answered the door when two healthcare workers arrived at her parents’ North Carolina home. She welcomed them inside, then asked “Are you vaccinated?”
“Their response set off every trigger in my body,” she said.
One woman said she would definitely not be getting “THAT” vaccine. The other woman said she was not required to answer that question.
Mullen’s mother said, “Then why are you in our house?”
And Mullen said, “You will have to leave and not come back.”
But both Mullen and her parents are concerned about other elderly people who might be too trusting or too timid.
Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, shares their concern and said, “Everyone has the right to insist that those who care for an elderly or ill loved one be vaccinated. Especially now that vaccines are available to just about anyone who wants one.”
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, reviewed this situation and issued a statement indicating she supports a mandate for vaccinations for healthcare workers:
“Healthcare workers are the first to respond to our needs and are trusted across all communities in Illinois to help resolve the health issues of ourselves and our loved ones. In the midst of a global pandemic we have witnessed an escalated need for those who provide care in our communities.
“Mandating the COVID-19 vaccination for our healthcare workers will ensure their ability to keep us and our loved ones safe and provide confidence in our first responders to not bring any additional health risk to the residents of Illinois as they continue to be the heroes for our families and their own. As at-home care and telehealth become more viable options for residents and patients across our state, mandating the vaccine for healthcare workers will help us overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have many young people who may be asymptomatic, seemingly healthy, but as we see now, just as in the beginning of the pandemic, having no symptoms is not synonymous with not being a carrier of the virus. The pandemic is not over, and COVID still poses a real threat to individuals across demographics and backgrounds. Although we have made progress in tackling this threat, actions such as the vaccine mandate will take us to the next level in resolving this global health crisis.”
OSF Healthcare released this statement when questioned about the vaccination status of healthcare workers: “We know there are questions and concerns about whether OSF HealthCare providers have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one and getting the COVID-19 vaccination is not mandated by OSF. Each caregiver is following CDC, state and local guidelines regarding precautions against COVID-19, regardless of whether or not they are vaccinated. This includes maintaining physical distancing, washing hands frequently, wearing a mask and using other personal protective equipment to keep everyone safe. No matter what a caregiver’s vaccination status is, we are ALWAYS focused on safety with the appropriate PPE to protect patients.”
Amedisys did not respond to several requests for comment. UnityPoint did not respond to a request for comment.