Oct 14, 2009 10:35 pm US/Central
Should H1N1 Shots Be Mandatory For Health Workers?
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Vials of H1N1 vaccine by manufacturer CSL are displayed near its production line in Melbourne, Australia on September 24, 2009.
WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
Could you be forced to get the new H1N1 flu shot? That depends on where you live and what you do for a living. If you're a health care worker in Chicago, you may soon have to make a choice.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports that two Chicago area hospitals are now mandating H1N1 vaccinations for employees and medical students who have direct contact with patients.
The point is, to protect medical workers and their patients, from one another. But not everybody is sure this is a good idea.
Stroger Cook County Hospital is now requiring patient care workers to get H1N1 inoculations. And so is Rush University Medical Center.
Just as seasonal flu shots were mandated and given two weeks ago, the new "super flu" shots began Wednesday for Rush ICU workers.
"When patients get sick, the sickest patients are going to go the intensive care units," said Mary Alice Lavin, RN/Epidemiologist. "We want to make sure that the staff there are well-protected."
But what if workers don't want the shot? Exemptions can be filed for medical reasons, cultural or religious reasons. And if you don't get the vaccine, you'll have to wear a surgical mask on the job.
"If someone says, 'I'm not getting a shot, I'm not signing any paper and I'm not wearing a mask', then the appropriate disciplinary action would take place," Lavin said.
Radiological technician at Northwestern Hospital Keleya Jefferson thinks the mandate is a good idea, but: "I think that there's a lot of concerns by employees whether it's something that will be helpful for them, or safe, because it's something new," she said.
In New York, the H1N1 requirement has the force of law at all hospitals. Say no to the shot and be fired.
The chairman of the Chicago City Council's Health Committee is not planning anything like that here.
"I think that's unconstitutional. I don't believe they can do that," said Ald. Ed Smith, Health Committee Chairman. "How in the world can you demand people to take a shot if they don't want to take it?"
So far, 57 out of 10,000 Rush employees have asked for exemptions from the shots. They have until November 1st to make their wishes known.
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