District judge issues a temporary restraining order on Ascencion St. John's vaccine mandate requirements

3 years ago 313

TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa District Court Judge blocked Ascension Healthcare from firing unvaccinated workers who filed spiritual exemptions.

Dozens of St. John employees gathered extracurricular of the infirmary Friday to protestation the mandatory vaccine mandate earlier the justice granted the impermanent restraining order.

"It makes maine consciousness similar that possibly there's hope," Mona Keeline said.

A glimpse of anticipation for hundreds of Ascension St. John healthcare workers whose jobs were connected the enactment for not gathering the vaccine requirements by their wellness network.

“I cognize that galore radical are truthful dissatisfied present with Ascension that they wouldn’t spell back,” Keeline said.

A impermanent restraining bid filed by Attorney General O'Connor and approved by a Tulsa District Judge could present support them from losing their jobs.

The Attorney General releasing pursuing statement:

“This evening, the Tulsa District Court granted the State’s Application for Temporary Restraining Order successful our lawsuit to support Ascension Healthcare from carrying retired its program to occurrence employees who were unfairly denied spiritual exemptions from their nationwide COVID-19 vaccination mandate. This is simply a triumph for spiritual state and our bureau volition proceed to combat against unlawful spiritual discrimination.”

Keeline was among the dozens who protested the St. John's vaccine mandate. She worked astatine the infirmary for 17 years, but near her occupation past period aft she said she was forced to take betwixt her occupation and her idiosyncratic freedoms.

“Whatever your crushed is, you person a close to marque that decision, it’s made maine truly sad. I person the quality to not stay, but galore don’t and they’re doing thing to themselves that they wholly deliberation it’s not the close happening for them for immoderate reasons,” Keeline said.

She said galore St. John employees submitted aesculapian and spiritual exemptions but they were denied.

“Yes, galore radical enactment successful exemptions, and from a Catholic hospital, you would person thought that you would spot much acceptance of those spiritual exemptions, but adjacent aesculapian exemptions they are not accepting,” Keeline said.

She was not the lone 1 disappointed. Laura Dobbins besides echoed her frustration.

“I consciousness betrayed, I consciousness benignant of a consciousness of favoritism due to the fact that they’re saying that I’m an accrued hazard to the patients. However, I’ve had COVID, and I’ve had progressive antibodies and my antibody levels are really higher than immoderate of my vaccinated co-workers truthful it truly doesn’t marque consciousness that I'm an accrued risk,” she said.

Ascension St. John issuing the pursuing statement:

"We privation patients to beryllium assured and comforted with the cognition that our doctors and nurses, different clinicians and associates... volition either beryllium vaccinated, oregon beryllium complying with further corruption prevention protocols. Patients and their loved ones should person that bid of mind."

Ascension St. John tells 2 News they are communicating straight with associates and employees astir their shifts and employment.

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