In an astonishing display of bureaucratic backpedaling, Kaiser Permanente, one of America’s largest healthcare providers, is now desperately inviting back the very doctors it unceremoniously dismissed for their refusal to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination policy.
This reversal was revealed in a recent letter sent to former employees, a copy of which was obtained by citizen journalist Amy Reichert.
The letter, dated May 17, 2024, signals a complete overhaul of Kaiser’s previous stance on mandatory vaccinations.
It states that due to “changes in the federal, state and local vaccine requirements or recommendations,” the draconian policy that once demanded all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment has been scrapped. Now, vaccination is merely optional, though employees must still report their vaccination status annually.
The tone of the letter is almost apologetic, a stark contrast to the rigid mandates enforced during the pandemic’s peak. It reads: “We understand that your employment may have ended at Kaiser Permanente because of your non-compliance with the Vaccine Policy.”
The letter further invites those affected by the previous policy to reapply for their jobs.
“Given the revision to the Vaccine Policy, we wanted to inform you that you are eligible for rehire with Kaiser Permanente for open and available positions for which you are qualified if you choose to reapply,” the letter reads.
Read the full letters below:
“We are writing to let you know that there has been a change in the Kaiser Permanente COVID-19 Vaccination for KP Workforce Members Policy (“Vaccine Policy”) that may impact you. As you may recall, the federal government and various state and local entities required COVID-19 vaccinations for, among others, healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Consistent with the government-mandated COVID-19 vaccine laws, and as part of its ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of Kaiser Permanente members, patients, and employees, many of whom were at high-risk from COVID-19, in 2021 Kaiser Permanente implemented a Vaccine Policy. The Vaccine Policy required, as a condition of employment, that employees must either submit proof that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including any applicable boosters), or receive an approved exemption, by the specified timeline.
Due to changes in the federal, state and local vaccine requirements or recommendations, among other reasons, the Vaccine Policy has been revised effective February 1, 2024.
Specifically, vaccination against COVID-19 is no longer required as a condition of employment. While COVID-19 vaccination will not be a requirement of working at Kaiser Permanente, employees will be required to annually verify their COVID-19 vaccination status.
We understand that your employment may have ended at Kaiser Permanente because of your non-compliance with the Vaccine Policy. Given the revision to the Vaccine Policy, we wanted to inform you that you are eligible for rehire with Kaiser Permanente for open and available positions for which you are qualified if you chose to reapply (unless you are ineligible for rehire for other reasons unrelated to the non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate). You may search for open and available positions here:
https://kaiserpermanentejobs.org/search-jobs
We appreciate your prior service to Kaiser Permanente and its members and patients, and we encourage you to apply for open positions.”
Breaking:
Kaiser Permanente is begging doctors they fired over the COVID shot to crawl back to the HMO & reapply:KAISER PERMANENTE•
May 17, 2024
Dr. Owen Johnston,
We are writing to let you know that there has been a change in the Kaiser Permanente COVID-19 Vaccination… pic.twitter.com/FRY4ESW77e
— Amy Reichert (@amyforsandiego) May 23, 2024
Last year, 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California, Virginia, and three other states went on strike over staffing shortages, the biggest healthcare strike in U.S. history.
The three-day walkout involves nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and support staff. Healthcare workers are striking over wage increases, nationwide minimum wage, health benefits, retirement plans, and tuition assistance programs.
