It’s no secret that COVID-19 hit the healthcare world hard, especially those on the frontlines. The best defense we have against this virus are vaccines. As you’ve heard on previous episodes, studies show the vaccines are safe and effective. Across the country, and especially in California, an overwhelming majority of ED physicians, and most ED nurses and support staff, have chosen to get vaccinated. But that still left many healthcare workers unvaccinated and at risk of getting sick or passing the virus to patients. So, the government stepped in to issue mandates. 

In this episode, we explore the recent California state and U.S. federal mandates that require healthcare workers to be vaccinated, or apply for a medical or religious exemption. We hear from nurses with differing opinions on the mandate, get into the details of the mandate with Health Policy and Advocacy Fellow, Dr. Hunter Pattison, and talk with Director of Emergency Services at UC Davis, Rupy Sandhu, about the challenges of implementation and lessons learned from this experience. 

How has your hospital or ED responded to the mandate? Share your questions, comments, and feedback with us on social media, @empulsepodcast, or through our website, ucdavisem.com.

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Hosts:

Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guest:

Dr. Hunter Pattison, Emergency Medicine Health Policy Research Fellow at UC Davis and Advocacy Fellow for California ACEP

Rupy Sandhu, RN, Executive Director of Emergency Services at UC Davis

Resources:

White House Path out of the Pandemic

Vaccine mandates are working in California. Here’s what the numbers show. By Lara Korte. Sacramento Bee, Oct 3, 2021. 

Thousands of N.Y. Health Care Workers Get Vaccinated Ahead of Deadline. By Sharon Otterman and Joseph Goldstein. New York Times, Sept 28, 2021.

California vaccine mandate: most healthcare workers are complying, hospitals say. By Kristen Hwang. abc10, Sept 29, 2021. 

COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses survey results

Year one COVID-19 Impact Assessment Survey by the American Nurses Foundation
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Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Audio Productions for audio production services.