8-11-21 group of ssm employees express concern about vaccine mandate

A group of  Fond du Lac SSM Health employees is raising concerns over the health care company mandate that all employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine.   Spokesperson Jennifer Lucas says the group,  calling themselves Health Employees for Medical Freedom of Fond du Lac County,   is concerned that the mandate violates their rights to medical privacy and autonomy.   Lucas says the group is made up of nearly 100 SSM employees and is growing.   She says the SSM employees are not anti-vaxxers, noting they all have to get vaccines to work there.  She says a big part of it for many in the group is that the vaccine still does not have full authorization, or  feel it has not been adequately researched.   Lucas says others in the group  have personal experiences where they don’t feel safe receiving the vaccine.   Lucas says the group feels getting a COVID-19 vaccine should be a personal decision, and that it would be unfair that refusing to receive the vaccine would result in loss of employment with SSM Health.  She says many of the employees have been with St. Agnes Hospital  for 20, 30 years or even longer.   She says the group expects to grow with additional health care workers from Aurora HealthCare.