Updated Resources for Healthcare Employees

A number of Oklahoma hospitals including OU Medical, SSM, and Mercy have announced that they will mandate the Covid-19 vaccine for all employees, including those who have no patient contact. In Oklahoma, the vaccine exemption process that is codified in Oklahoma law ONLY applies to public school children. This means that our healthcare employees have no legally protected exemption options. While some hospitals are choosing to offer exemptions, these exemptions are woefully inadequate. For example, Mercy has stated that a board or committee will be looking into all exemptions and that medical exemptions must be “backed up by science”. This exemption process has the potential to be biased, and discriminatory. No employee should be forced to prove the validity of their medical or religious exemption. The same employees who were heralded as heroes in 2020 are now being coerced into taking an experimental drug or face the loss of employment.

We have a few tips and resources for employees that are facing this issue at their place of employment.

 

Get connected with OKHPR!

Sign up as a health care professional at okhpr.com so that we can continue to send you targeted action alerts, invite you to exclusive events, and stay in touch about lawsuits and exemption options.

Join OKHPR’s new texting system. Text “#HCP” to 405-251-8915. Many who were in attendance at the townhall requested a way to organize by the hospital they are employed at so that employees can band together and be united. After you have registered for the texting system, send a text with the name of the hospital that you work at so we can group employees together.

Watch OKHPR’s Emergency townhall where we discussed a number of different issues with a panel of speakers including legislators, attorneys, and doctors.

Legislative Resources

Find your elected officials (after entering your information, scroll all the way to the bottom) and call the governor (405-521-2342), your state representative, and state senator. Tell them that you are a constituent and you are asking them to take up this issue as soon as possible as nearly half of our hospital employees will be fired in the next month. This is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed. Make sure your elected representatives also understand that exemptions for employees are not codified in law in Oklahoma like they are for school children. Employers do not have to offer or accept exemptions for medical or religious reasons!

Then look up the elected representatives for your workplace, church, and school. If it is different from the elected representatives at your home address, give them a call as well! Tell them that you work/ attend church/ go to school in their district and you are asking that they take up this issue as soon as possible.

Communicating with your employer

We recommend that you attempt to file an exemption if your employer is offering one. If you need a minister to sign a religious exemption, the following ministers have reached out to us and are willing to sign exemptions. Click here for the minister list. You can also find samples of religious exemptions here. Another resource is called Freedom of Religion. They have provided religious exemption samples on their website here.

1. Document absolutely everything with your employer. Be sure to document all of your inquiries and communication with your employer in writing.

BCC your private email account of ALL emails communication with your employer.

If you have verbal communications with your employer regarding your desire not to be coerced into taking the vaccine, send a follow-up email to the person with whom you had the conversation. “Per our conversation, I understand the following … etc. This is called a CYA email.

When having a conversation with your employer, you can record that conversation with your smartphone.  “Oklahoma is a “one-party consent” state. This means that if the recording party is part of the conversation, it is legal for him or her to record. On the other hand, it is illegal to record a conversation between people who are unaware of the recording if you are not a party to the conversation (wiretapping someone’s phone line, for example).”

When recording an employer, put your phone on “airplane mode”. (If you get a random call during a recording, it will pause the recording.

2. Be polite, be kind, but demand answers.

3. Ask in writing all of your questions. We have compiled a number of different questions in these templates from our legal team to ask questions about the mandate. Please do not cut and paste the letter verbatim. It is recommended that you read the document and place the questions in your own words in your own language. It is encouraged that you remove questions that you don’t wish to include and (more importantly) add questions that you have that are more tailored to your specific employment.

4. Tell them you have private medical reasons on why you do not want the vaccine and ask if there is there an exemption process.

5. Be sure in your correspondence that you say that you are uncomfortable with this mandate and you feel they are forcing you to make a personal medical decision. Communicate that you are not comfortable sharing your personal medical information.

7. Let your employer know you want to keep your job.

8. Most importantly….DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB! Wait for them to fire you.

 

 

Questions to ask your employer who is mandating the vaccine

We have received a number of resources for employees who are facing covid-19 vaccine mandates. Please look through our news section to see all of them. The following list of questions may be helpful to send to your employer.

I’d be most grateful if you could please provide the following information, in accordance with statutory legal requirements:
1. Can you please advise me of the approved legal status of any vaccine and if it is experimental?
2. Can you please provide details and assurances that the vaccine has been fully, independently and rigorously tested against control groups and the subsequent outcomes of those tests?
3. Can you please advise of the full list of contents of the vaccine I am to receive and if any are toxic to the body?
4. Can you please fully advise of all the adverse reactions associated with this vaccine since it’s introduction?
5. Can you please confirm that the vaccine you are advocating is NOT ‘experimental mRNA gene-altering therapy’?
6. Can you please confirm that I will not be under any duress from you as my employers, in compliance with the Nuremberg Code?
7. Can you please advise me of the likely risk of fatality, should I be unfortunate to contract Covid 19 and the likelihood of recovery?
Once I have received the above information in full and I am satisfied that there is NO threat to my health, I will be happy to accept your offer to receive the treatment, but with certain conditions – namely that:
1. You confirm that I will suffer no harm.
2. Following acceptance of this, the offer must be signed by a fully qualified doctor who will take full legal and financial responsibility for any injuries occurring to myself, and/or from any interactions by authorized personnel regarding these procedures.
3. In the event that I should have to decline the offer of vaccination, please confirm that it will not compromise my position and that I will not suffer prejudice and discrimination as a result?
I would also advise that my inalienable rights are reserved.’

Resources for Employees

Hundreds of healthcare workers joined us at the Townhall last week. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.  We urge you to watch the recording take notes. However, here is a small list of the actionable steps that were outlined for healthcare workers.

  1. Join OKHPR’s new texting system. Text “#HCP” to 405-251-8915. Many who were in attendance at the townhall requested a way to organize by the hospital they are employed at so that employees can band together and be united. After you have registered for the texting system, send a text with the name of the hospital that you work at so we can group employees together.
  2. Attempt to file an exemption if your employer is offering one. If you need a minister to sign a religious exemption, the following ministers have reached out to us and are willing to sign exemptions. Click here for the minister list.
  3. Use this template from our legal team to ask questions about the mandate. Please do not cut and paste the letter verbatim. It is recommended that you read the document and place the questions in your own words in your own language. It is encouraged that you remove questions that you don’t wish to include and (more importantly) add questions that you have that are more tailored to your specific employment.
  4. If you cannot get an exemption, please consider joining the lawsuit that is discussed in the townhall meeting. Please do not call the attorney directly as not to overwhelm him. He has asked that you email us instead. Email us at info@okhpr.com with the subject line “Lawsuit” and the name of the hospital system that you work for. We will forward your information to the attorney who is filing the lawsuit.
  5. If your religious or medical exemption has been turned down, please email us with the subject line “REJECTED EXEMPTION”.
  6. Read these additional tips from the OKHPR legal team.

Let’s Talk Employee Mandates – Town Hall

OKHPR will be hosting a town hall meeting to direct healthcare employees to resources to help fight vaccine mandates in the workplace. Make sure to RSVP, and read the rest of this email for additional resources.

Please RSVP by clicking the button below so we can give an accurate headcount to the church that is allowing us to meet in their building.

Event will be live-streamed. Be sure to join okhpr.com as a member, OKHPR members will receive a link to watch the event via email.

Another action you can take is to call Governor Kevin Stitt, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, and your State Representative and State Senator. Ask them to protect the choices of health care workers. You can find your state legislators here.

What to do if your employer is mandating the vaccine

A number of Oklahoma hospitals including OU Medical, SSM, and Mercy have announced that they will mandate the Covid-19 vaccine for all employees. While some hospitals have claimed to offer an exemption, these exemptions are woefully inadequate. For example, Mercy has stated that a board or committee will be looking into all exemptions and that medical exemptions must be “backed up by science”. This exemption process has the potential to be biased, and discriminatory. No employee should be forced to prove the validity of their medical or religious exemption. The same employees who were heralded as heroes in 2020 are now being coerced into taking an experimental drug or face the loss of employment.

We have a few tips and resources for employees that are facing this issue at their place of employment.

1. Document absolutely everything with your employer. Use only written correspondence.

2. Be polite, be kind, but demand answers.

3. Ask in writing all of your questions including:

    • What is the employer’s legal standings to force this upon employees?
    • What data are they using to back their request?
    • When did this mandate become policy? Was it part of my employment agreement?
    • Did I sign something that allowed the sharing of private medical information?
    • If an employee has an adverse reaction to this jab, what is the policy? Is the employer liable for adverse events? Are you going to take care of my family if something happens to me.


4. Tell them you have private medical reasons on why you do not want the vaccine and ask if there is there an exemption process.

5. Be sure in your correspondence that you say that you are uncomfortable with this mandate and you feel they are forcing you to make a personal medical decision. Communicate that you are not comfortable sharing your personal medical information.

6. Seek out an employment lawyer.

7. Let your employer know you want to keep your job.

8. Most importantly….DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB! Wait for them to fire you.

9. Your health is far more important than a job. Stand firm. Take a stand against medical tyranny. This fight will take COURAGE! We are going to have to gear up for a fight if we want to protect our rights.

10. Sign up as a health care professional at okhpr.com so that we can continue to send you targeted action alerts, invite you to exclusive events, and stay in touch about lawsuits and exemption options.

11. Sign the petition to protect employees from vaccine mandates.

12. Share this information with your friends and family!

Tulsa Health Department is Skirting SB 658

Many members have received a text message from the Tulsa Health Department reminding them that children are required to have vaccinations before school. This text does not include any information about available exemption options. SB 658, which went into effect July 1st, requires all school districts to state that exemptions are available anytime they mention vaccine requirements on their website or in enrollment publications. However, the bill does not specifically require the health department to do so. This is how the Tulsa health department is getting around the new law.

Our website details your exemption options and how to file for one. To combat this misinformation from the Tulsa health department, please share the resource page from our website. After clicking on ‘vaccine choice’ you will see links for the vaccine exemption form, vaccine law, and a frequently asked questions page. Make sure your friends and family are aware of their exemption options.

SB 658 is now in effect!

SB 658 is now in effect! Dare we say THIS IS the best legislation passed this year, especially since OU said they WOULD HAVE mandated the vaccine for ALL students. Say bye to mask mandates for school & university students (IF there is no state declared of emergency), discrimination based on vaccine status, and C-19 vaccine mandates (excluding some university programs that have clinical requirements). Report non-compliance using the button below.

Letter from an Anonymous Healthcare Worker

An anonymous OKHPR healthcare worker has written the following statement. We hope it will encourage you and fire you up!

“It is time to take a stand! We as healthcare professionals are expected by our patients and the public to be honest and forthcoming when it comes to their health. With that trust comes the obligation and duty to speak up when we know deep in our hearts that something just isn’t right. And when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, something just isn’t right.

This vaccine has been pushed and forced on the public, and us, since before the initial trials were even made public. They tell the public that it’s FDA approved, but it’s not. An EUA does NOT equate FDA approval. In fact, if you look at the IFU for any device that has been granted an EUA, it says in plain English “not FDA approved”.

They tell the public that it’s not a new vaccine, but it is. This mRNA technology has never been used to induce immunity against a coronavirus.

They tell the public it’s safe, before we have any long term safety data.

They tell the public it is effective, while there is missing data that if included in the literature would prove otherwise.

They tell the public there are little to no side effects when there are many official reports of serious complications with many more going unreported. Many of those complications just as serious or even worse than the virus itself.

They tell the public that the “science is settled” before the research is even peer-reviewed. There are gaping holes and redactions in the report filed to the FDA for the Pfizer trial, including over 3,000 subjects who had suspected a COVID infection but were never tested.

The CDC says we should vaccinate children while the WHO says we shouldn’t.

The WHO also changed the definition of herd immunity in 2020. Herd immunity used to include individuals who were vaccinated AND who were naturally infected and recovered, but in 2020 they changed it to only count for individuals who were vaccinated. Why?

No patient should be forced or even bribed for consent. But that’s just what is happening. People are being offered beer, donuts, lottery money and other ridiculous bribes to consent to this vaccine. Lies, manipulation and bribes. That doesn’t sound like informed consent to me. And it’s not just the general public who is losing their right to informed consent. Recently, employees at Houston Methodist Hospital refused to accept the vaccine after it was mandated by their employer. They attempted to sue to protect their freedom and their livelihood. That lawsuit was struck down by a judge. And even more recently, here in Oklahoma, SSM has announced they will follow suit with the Houston Hospital. I know this can be a grey area for some; I myself believe in a private company’s rights to do business as they please. But we must draw the line somewhere. It is unreasonable and ought to be a criminal act to require an individual to undergo a medical procedure that is not FULLY FDA approved, just so they can remain employed in their chosen career.

I know this is difficult. We have a lot on the line when we speak up about this vaccine. We after all are part of the very system that is spreading misleading information to the public. So for us to speak out takes courage, resolve and science, real science, that we can fall back on.

It’s time to draw a line in the sand. Allowing our employers to force a non-FDA approved medical treatment on us would set a very dangerous precedent. In order to protect our rights and the rights of our patients, we must act early, we must act now, we must act together. If enough of us take a stand, we can force their hand. Houston Methodist didn’t have enough people refusing the vaccine. If everyone who had any reservations against this vaccine would have taken a stand, I believe Houston Methodist would have been forced to either withdraw the mandate or shut down. We all know that these hospitals are already run on skeleton crews. It won’t take a majority, but it will take all of us who know “something just isn’t right”.”