Heath care aide faces unpaid leave amid vaccine mandate
Naveen Day- 0
- 2 minutes read
According to healthcare workers who are opposed to mandatory vaccinations, we could see a drop in on-duty staff in Alberta beginning this month. One worker who says that part of the rural hospital she is employed at could potentially be shut down, once she, and other staff are placed on unpaid leave of absence for failing to comply with mandatory vaccination requirements.
Haley Mock has spent over a decade working as a health care aide for a small rural Alberta hospital and care facility. She says she was medically exempted from the influenza vaccine due to reactions that ended her up in hospital. Mock has concerns with taking the COVID-19 vaccination, which has been mandated for all healthcare workers. Which means, according to her, she will eventually lose her job. She says mandating vaccinations on workers goes against the training she received as a healthcare worker.
Mock says that her hospital has been experiencing staff shortages for years, mainly due to the hospital’s rural location. According to an online group of healthcare workers, Alberta Health Services sent out an email last month advising staff that they would need to submit proof of full immunization by October 31, or they will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence. Mock says that further reduction of on-duty staff will have a negative impact on the hospital that she works at.
According to Mock, her and her colleagues have reached out to their union for help, but reports that the whole system is turning its back on them, and their pleas are falling on deaf ears. She says that her job is physically and mentally demanding on her health, and feels that termination of employment is a sign that it is time for a career change.
