Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center shares how providers weren’t trusted to make medical decisions even for themselves
Elizabeth Hovde
Washington Policy Center
State officials just announced their plan for dealing with COVID-19 in the future. They gave their campaign released in March the jazzy marketing title “ForWArd.” (See what they did there?)
The campaign materials say health care workers “continue to be as essential as ever,” not only to care for patients but to “educate and communicate” with the general public. And while Gov. Jay Inslee and the Department of Health (DOH) say they recognize health care providers as “trusted sources of medical information,” providers weren’t trusted to make medical decisions even for themselves.
As a result of Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, some Washingtonians lost their primary caregivers – their most trusted medical source. And roughly 3,000 hospital workers also lost jobs over the state vaccine mandate. The head of the Washington State Hospital Association said some hospitals experienced added strain because of the mandate.
One health care provider told me she wanted to wait for better science about the vaccine before taking it or advising her patients to take a new medicine. She was fired. (Other providers, I should note, told me they had no hesitation recommending vaccination or being vaccinated.)
The state even said it would pay providers for vaccine counseling that their patients did not seek. “Gov. Inslee makes emergency proclamation reimbursing providers for proactive COVID-19 vaccine counseling visits,” a Washington state Health Care Authority bulletin said. It pointed the state’s trusted medical sources to talking points and a billing outline. A DOH press release listed steps for providers taking advantage of what it called the Power of Providers (POP) initiative: “Ask patients at every visit if they are vaccinated or check their immunization records. If the patient is not vaccinated, provide information and education on the COVID-19 vaccine, recommend it and offer it.”
“ForWArd” talks about the POP effort this way: “Through POP, we asked providers to reach out to patients, educate them, provide them with a vaccine or referral and empower patients to share vaccination status with their respective communities. Over 65,000 Washington healthcare providers committed to do so and that number continues to grow.”
Inslee’s strict vaccine mandate — made under the emergency powers he has had for 759 days — also took out more than 1,800 Washington state employees. It stands out like a sore thumb in our nation, and states without such a mandate have lower COVID-19 death rates. Read more about that here.
COVID-19 shots appear to lower hospitalization and death. They have been a useful tool. State numbers show most Washingtonians have been vaccinated — many voluntarily. But both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can contract and spread the disease, making a vaccine mandate for employment clearly misguided and discriminatory. It is hurting state resources and wrecking careers.
Ending the vaccine mandate in Washington state should be part of the “ForWArd” campaign. The policy is backward.
Elizabeth Hovde is a policy analyst and director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.
Also read:
- Opinion: Why Bob Ferguson is wrong and what SMF is doing about it
Silent Majority Foundation challenges Bob Ferguson over alleged rights violations in federal lawsuit. - Silent Majority Foundation files lawsuit on behalf of former state employees who were terminated under policy requiring a COVID-19 vaccineSilent Majority Foundation files a lawsuit on behalf of former state employees alleging constitutional violations over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
- Letter: New movie on COVID vaccine victims deserves a watchRichard Beamish discusses the documentary on COVID vaccine victims, urging viewers to watch.
- Vancouver screening scheduled of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’Vancouver screening of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’ scheduled for Sept. 18 at Vancouver Mall 23.
- Study: Risk for getting COVID rises with each shot
A new report from the Epoch Times warns that the more COVID shots an individual has taken, the higher the risk of getting COVID. - ‘That’s a scandal’: CDC knew COVID shots caused deaths, but lied with public denialsA new report from the Epoch Times reveals its investigation shows that the CDC knew of the links between the COVID shots and death – and lied about them.
- FDA agrees to remove anti-ivermectin posts off the internet in lawsuit settlementThe Food and Drug Administration has reportedly settled a lawsuit brought by three doctors who accused the health regulator of interfering with their ability to practice medicine and prescribe Ivermectin to treat COVID.
- No good news about student learning on 4-year anniversary of COVID school closuresFour years ago this month, schools nationwide shut down as COVID-19 numbers skyrocketed and students were sent home for what was initially planned to be two weeks.
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