Jim Renacci Slams Akron Children’s Hospital For Dismissing Unvaccinated Workers: ‘Backwards, Counter-Productive, Not Based on Science’

01/13/22

"To the staff of Akron Children's Hospital: do not back down, we are standing with you!"

Akron Children's Hospital is planning to dismiss dozens of nurses and staff who are refusing to follow the hospital's vaccine mandate after failing to meet the hospital's January 11th deadline. Not only is it morally abhorrent to punish Ohio's health care workers for their personal health decisions, but it's counterproductive and backwards to send them home in the middle of a labor shortage that is already squeezing hospitals dealing with COVID patients.

This is why Jim Renacci is a firm supporter of ballot initiative HB 248, which would shield Ohioans from discriminatory vaccine mandates. Mike DeWine has said he opposes any such legislation and has threatened to veto it.
According to WJW, the Ohio Hospital Association’s latest data shows the number of hospitalizations is up more than 40% from 21 days ago.
The labor shortage in hospitals has gotten so dire that hospitals are resorting to "visiting nurses" from expensive contractors.
Mike DeWine recently chastised roughly half of Ohio National Guard members for refusing to get vaccinated, after he deployed them to help with the labor shortage caused in part by firing unvaccinated health workers.

Jim Renacci issued the following statement in response:

"The idiotic decision by the administrators at Akron Children's Hospital to dismiss dozens of their frontline health care workers due to their vaccination status in the middle of a COVID surge is backwards, counter-productive, and not based on science. Alarmingly, stories like this are happening all over Ohio. Mike DeWine has no intention to protect these frontline workers who he pretends to support. Instead, he demonizes them for their personal health decisions, even after they've gone above and beyond to serve Ohio throughout the pandemic. This is why it is so urgent we put HB 248 on the ballot to protect Ohioans' medical freedoms. As Governor, I will lead the fight against vaccine mandates in Ohio, not enable and encourage them like Mike DeWine has done. To the staff of Akron Children's Hospital: do not back down, we are standing with you!"