This is a public statement issued by the American Nurses Association\California Executive Director on July 26th, 2021.
Due to the recent COVID-19 surge, the American Nurses Association\California supports California Governor Newsom's vaccination mandate announcement this morning, July 26th, for all workers in health and long-term care as it aligns with the ANA's Immunizations Position Statement from July 22, 2020.
This is an ethical commitment for all health care workers to take the necessary steps to ensure the health and well-being of their patients and residents of long-term care facilities.
Because of highly contagious variants, including the Delta variant, and significant numbers of unvaccinated people, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are once again rising throughout the United States. Evidence-based practices have shown immunizations protect the public from highly communicable and deadly diseases such as Hepatitis B, pertussis, and influenza - all currently mandated vaccinations for health care workers.
Unfortunately, many health care and long-term care personnel remain unvaccinated from COVID-19. And, while we recognize some workers cannot be vaccinated because of identified medical reasons and should be exempted from a mandate, they constitute a small minority of all workers.
ANA\California calls for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to regular testing. The health and safety of California's workers, families, and communities depend on it.
Respectfully,
Dr. Marketa Houskova, DNP, MAIA, BA, RN
Executive Director