GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Some area healthcare workers and their supporters marched Wednesday in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates coming down from local healthcare systems.
The march took place in front of Bellin Health and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital–neither of which are mandating it.
“I’m just hoping they consider not doing that,” said Kim Flynn, an HSHS employee. “I just feel sorry for any one working for any of the hospital systems requiring it.”
Prevea Health and Advocate Aurora are both mandating the vaccine.
“I just want more research,” said Flynn. “More research done on the vaccine and more time.”
Organizers stressed they weren’t against the vaccine, just the mandates surrounding them.
“We took an oath to give our patients medical autonomy,” said Hope Coppens, a local health care employee. “We can’t practice that if we don’t have medical autonomy because that can just lead to our patients not having medical autonomy.”
However, groups like Wisconsin Nurses Association argue getting the vaccine, is the right thing to do for anyone who wants to work in health care.
“I think it’s important to patients that they’re coming in and knowing that they’re coming into a place where there’s care concern, safety,” said CEO of Wisconsin Nurses Association, Gina Dennik-Champion. “No one wants to get an infection while they’re in the hospital. That could have been might have not happened.”
Another protest against vaccine mandates is scheduled for Friday, outside the Advocate Aurora Hospital in Manitowoc.
