Healthcare workers and supporters protest hospital vaccination policy

Windsor, Ont. -

About 200 people lined Tecumseh Road Wednesday afternoon calling out Windsor Regional Hospital for its mandatory vaccination policy.

Protesters included healthcare workers and allies — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — who are pushing for informed consent — over what they call ‘hospital coercion.’

They wouldn’t speak to members of the media, including CTV News, when asked about their reasons for the demonstration — but they did issue a leaflet to the media saying:

“We have been on the frontlines since the very beginning of the pandemic and now are being told we are unsafe and unfit to continue working unless we are vaccinated.”

Adopted in early September, Windsor Regional’s vaccine policy states that all staff, volunteers and students must have received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have a valid medical exemption, by Sept. 22.

Those who remained unvaccinated were placed on unpaid leave for two weeks.

Failure to receive a vaccine by Oct. 7 could cost them their jobs.

Protestors believe dismissing staff who are willing to work is not the answer.

But Windsor Regional Hospital officials are standing by the policy. In a statement to CTV News hospital officials say:

“Patients and their loved ones expect us to do everything we can to prevent the spread and/or outbreak of COVID-19 within our hospitals, to protect our community, patients and fellow staff and to lead by example.”

The hospital says this position is overwhelmingly supported by the community.

To date 97.3 per cent of staff are immunized against COVID-19 and 113 staff remain unvaccinated.

Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare CEO Janice Kaffer says 30 staff remain suspended at the west end hospital with their health and safety policy around vaccination.

Kaffer says those staff members could be terminated next week if they don’t have at least one shot by Oct. 9.

Ninety-six per cent of staff at Hotel Dieu are vaccinated.

Unrelated, Kaffer tells CTV News there remains a shortage of registered nurses at HDGH despite excellent results in recruiting registered practical nurses.

She tells CTV the hospital is roughly short 20 RNs.