The Mayo Clinic has laid off hundreds of unvaccinated staff members over its mandatory vaccination policy.
The Mayo Clinic health systems operates numerous hospitals and clinics across Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Employees were given until Monday to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or apply for and receive an exemption.
“While final numbers are still not available, nearly 99% of staff across all Mayo Clinic locations have complied with the required vaccination program, meaning they have been vaccinated or have received medical or religious exemptions,” the clinic said in a statement, according to Minnesota’s Star Tribune.
“This means that approximately 1% of staff across all locations will be released from employment as a result of the required vaccination program. This is comparable to what other health care organizations have experienced in implementing similar vaccine requirement programs,” it continued. The cuts are equivalent to about 700 of Mayo Clinic’s staff members.
Mayo Clinic follows several large health systems in forcing out employees who did not receive a vaccine or an approved exemption. Minnesota-based Allina Health laid off 53 staff in December over its vaccination policy. South Dakota-based Sanford Health suspended 82 employees in November over their lack of vaccination or an approved exemption.
“While Mayo Clinic is saddened to lose valuable employees, we need to take all steps necessary to keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe,” the clinic continued in its statement. “If individuals released from employment choose to get vaccinated at a later date, the opportunity exists for them to apply and return to Mayo Clinic for future job openings.”
“Based on science and data, it’s clear that vaccination keeps people out of the hospital and saves lives. That’s true for everyone in our communities — and it’s especially true for the many patients with serious or complex diseases who seek care at Mayo Clinic each day,” it said.
The Biden administration has introduced a rule that would mandate healthcare workers at facilities that receive federal funding be vaccinated. The rule, pushed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has been held up in legal challenges and is currently waiting for a Supreme Court decision on whether the regulation will be enacted or stayed while the legal challenges play out.
The Supreme Court is also due to rule on another Biden administration vaccine order, this one propagated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), that would force large employers to ensure that their employees are either vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19. While numerous states, businesses, and interest groups have filed lawsuits over the rule, The Daily Wire is the lead plaintiff in the suit.
The OSHA rule was originally scheduled to take effect on January 4, but the agency delayed the order until January 10 over the legal fight. OSHA has argued that the unprecedented regulation on private companies could cost dozens or hundreds of lives a day if not allowed to be implemented.