Major healthcare provider asks unvaccinated doctors to return
Kaiser Permanente is reportedly asking some doctors who were fired during the pandemic for refusing the COVID-19 vaccines to return to their jobs.
2,200 employees placed on unpaid leave
In August 2021, Kaiser imposed a vaccine mandate on all employees. In October that year, the HMO giant placed 2,200 employees on unpaid leave with an ultimatum to get the shots or lose their jobs. Some employees, like Dr. Owen Johnston, refused the injections and were fired from Kaiser.
According to a letter from Kaiser dated May 17, 2024 and obtained by journalist Amy Reichert, Kaiser Permanente is inviting Dr. Johnston to return to work.
“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,” Kaiser wrote. “Specifically, vaccination against COVID-19 is no longer required as a condition of employment.”
Still required to report vaccination status
But the HMO is still not absolving former unvaccinated employees from vaccine status verification. “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,” wrote Kaiser.
“We understand that your employment may have ended at Kaiser Permanente because of your non-compliance with the Vaccine Policy,” the company continued. “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).”
Frontline News reached out to Kaiser Permanente for comment.
Read the letter in full here:
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.
