Missoula County opposes SB 23, Require accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations to be uniformly offered, up for hearing Monday morning in the Judiciary Committee. This bill would heavily impact facilities whose staff provide medical care or work with children. It would allow any employee, regardless of medical or religious exemption status, to opt-out of being protected from a vaccine-preventable disease, decreasing herd immunity and putting their co-workers and patients/clients who are legitimately unable to be vaccinated at risk. Decreased herd immunity also increases the probability of a disease outbreak, during which unvaccinated employees and children would be sent home for their own protection, putting an additional burden on employers. Outbreaks also burden individuals, communities and health-care organizations with unexpected costs, and public health agencies must spend taxpayer dollars to fund an investigation of an outbreak. Finally, this bill would increase employer legal liability by removing a safe, inexpensive way for them to protect staff and clients from highly contagious and often life-threatening diseases.
Missoula County opposes SB 23, Require accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations to be uniformly offered, on the House floor this afternoon. This bill would heavily impact facilities whose staff provide medical care or work with children. It would allow any employee, regardless of medical or religious exemption status, to opt-out of being protected from a vaccine-preventable disease, decreasing herd immunity and endangering their co-workers and patients/clients who legitimately can’t be vaccinated. Decreased herd immunity increases the probability of a disease outbreak, during which unvaccinated employees and children would be sent home for their own protection, putting an additional burden on employers. Outbreaks also burden individuals, communities and health-care organizations with unexpected costs, and public health agencies must spend taxpayer dollars to investigate an outbreak. Finally, this bill would increase employer legal liability by removing a safe, inexpensive way to protect staff and clients from highly contagious and often life-threatening diseases.
On behalf of Missoula City-County Health Department, I urge you to vote NO on SB 23, which requires that accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations be uniformly offered. This bill will have the most impact on facilities that work with vulnerable populations such as schools, child cares, hospitals, and medical clinics. Vaccines help protect an individual from both getting a disease and spreading a disease, especially to those children who are not fully vaccinated or to people who cannot be vaccinated due to certain health conditions or age. Our other concerns is that this bill also unfairly limits an employer’s ability and duty to protect their staff, patients, students, or children, by ensuring that as many employees as possible are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. When people who could be vaccinated choose not to, they are putting others at risk. I ask that you vote NO PASS ON SB 23. Thank you for your consideration.
Sent March 15:
ReplyDeleteRepresentatives Morigeau and Keogh,
Missoula County opposes SB 23, Require accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations to be uniformly offered, up for hearing Monday morning in the Judiciary Committee. This bill would heavily impact facilities whose staff provide medical care or work with children. It would allow any employee, regardless of medical or religious exemption status, to opt-out of being protected from a vaccine-preventable disease, decreasing herd immunity and putting their co-workers and patients/clients who are legitimately unable to be vaccinated at risk. Decreased herd immunity also increases the probability of a disease outbreak, during which unvaccinated employees and children would be sent home for their own protection, putting an additional burden on employers. Outbreaks also burden individuals, communities and health-care organizations with unexpected costs, and public health agencies must spend taxpayer dollars to fund an investigation of an outbreak. Finally, this bill would increase employer legal liability by removing a safe, inexpensive way for them to protect staff and clients from highly contagious and often life-threatening diseases.
Please oppose SB 23.
Sent April 2:
ReplyDeleteRepresentatives,
Missoula County opposes SB 23, Require accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations to be uniformly offered, on the House floor this afternoon. This bill would heavily impact facilities whose staff provide medical care or work with children. It would allow any employee, regardless of medical or religious exemption status, to opt-out of being protected from a vaccine-preventable disease, decreasing herd immunity and endangering their co-workers and patients/clients who legitimately can’t be vaccinated. Decreased herd immunity increases the probability of a disease outbreak, during which unvaccinated employees and children would be sent home for their own protection, putting an additional burden on employers. Outbreaks also burden individuals, communities and health-care organizations with unexpected costs, and public health agencies must spend taxpayer dollars to investigate an outbreak. Finally, this bill would increase employer legal liability by removing a safe, inexpensive way to protect staff and clients from highly contagious and often life-threatening diseases.
Please oppose SB 23.
Sent by MCCHD today:
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of Missoula City-County Health Department, I urge you to vote NO on SB 23, which requires that accommodations to employer-mandated vaccinations be uniformly offered. This bill will have the most impact on facilities that work with vulnerable populations such as schools, child cares, hospitals, and medical clinics. Vaccines help protect an individual from both getting a disease and spreading a disease, especially to those children who are not fully vaccinated or to people who cannot be vaccinated due to certain health conditions or age. Our other concerns is that this bill also unfairly limits an employer’s ability and duty to protect their staff, patients, students, or children, by ensuring that as many employees as possible are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. When people who could be vaccinated choose not to, they are putting others at risk. I ask that you vote NO PASS ON SB 23. Thank you for your consideration.