THOUGHT COVID-19 WAS ON THE
RETREAT, CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS
AND DEATHS ARE ON THE RISE IN
WISCONSIN, WITH SEVEN-DAY
AVERAGE CASE COUNTS ABOVE 2500
AND DAILY DEATHS IN THE DOUBLE
DIGITS.
EIGHT COUNTIES HAVE CRITICALLY
HIGH NUMBERS.
SIX ARE IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF
THE STATE.
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS HAVE BEEN
ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE
PANDEMIC FOR MORE THAN A YEAR
AND A HALF AND STILL THERE IS
RESISTANCE TO WEARING MASKS AND
GETTING VACCINES.
THE CEO OF MARSHFIELD CLINIC, A
PROVIDER ACROSS RURAL WISCONSIN,
HAS LAMENTED THE BACKLASH OVER
COVID MITIGATIONS.
SUSAN TOURNEY JOINS US NOW FROM
MARSHFIELD.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
<!32768> T
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
HAVING US.
>> WAS THE BACKLASH MOSTLY
AROUND YOUR MANDATE THAT STAFF
BE VACCINATED?
>> YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THAT
WE'VE HAD MANY CHALLENGES DURING
COVID, AND THE ISSUE ABOUT
VACCINATION HAS CERTAINLY
CREATED CONTROVERSY.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SEEN SOME
VERY, VERY STRONG VACCINE
RESISTANCE IN OUR SERVICE AREA,
INCLUDING SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
WE DID, AS YOU JUST STATED,
MANDATE THE VACCINE FOR ALL OF
OUR HEALTH SYSTEM STAFF, AND IT
DREW BACKLASH FROM NOT JUST SOME
OF OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO FROM
SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND IT'S NOT UNIQUE TO US.
HEALTH SYSTEMS AND HOSPITALS
ACROSS WISCONSIN ARE REALLY
FACING THE SAME TYPE OF
BACKLASH.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT AS A -- FOR
US AS A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM,
MANDATING THE VACCINE WAS REALLY
A SIMPLE DECISION.
OUR VALUES DEMAND THAT WE DO
WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR PATIENTS.
WE KNOW THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO
EXCELLENCE.
SO WE ALSO WANT TO LIVE OUR
MISSION, WHICH IS TO ENRICH
LIVES.
SO WHEN WE CAN'T REALLY APPROACH
LIVING TO THOSE IDEALS THAT WE
HAVE IN PLACE IF WE HAVE AN
UNVACCINATED POPULATION.
SO OUR PATIENTS DEPEND ON US.
THEY WANT AND THEY DESERVE TO
COME TO A FACILITY THAT DOES
EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER TO KEEP
THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES SAFE.
SO I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT MOST OF
OUR 10,000 EMPLOYEES AND ALL OF
OUR PHYSICIANS HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED.
WE ARE AT ABOUT 99% PLUS RATE
RIGHT NOW FOR ALL OF OUR STAFF
WHO HAVE COMPLIED WITH OUR
REQUIREMENT.
OUR DEADLINE IS NEXT MONDAY, AND
ON THAT DATE I SUSPECT WE WILL
HAVE A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO DO CHOOSE TO NOT COMPLY WITH
OUR REQUIREMENT.
IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT WE ARE
PREPARED AND I BELIEVE THAT WE
ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TO
CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE DO BEST,
WHICH IS TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS
IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND PROVIDE
HIGH-QUALITY CARE.
>> AND I'M ASSUMING THAT WHEN
YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE PREPARED
WHEN THAT DEADLINE HAPPENS TO
HAVE TO LET PEOPLE GO THAT DO
NOT COMPLY WITH GETTING
VACCINATED?
>> YES.
THERE MAY BE A FEW PEOPLE THAT
DON'T COMPLY AND WILL BE ASKED
TO LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION.
AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT,
AGAIN, LIVING UP TO OUR MISSION
AND STANDING ON OUR VALUES AND
KNOWING WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO
BEST SERVE OUR PATIENTS AND OUR
STAFF AND OUR COMMUNITIES,
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.
>> NOW, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE
DESCRIBED WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED
THERE AT YOUR HEALTH SYSTEM AS
BACKLASH, BUT THERE WERE
LITERALLY PROTESTS OUTSIDE YOUR
CLINIC?
>> YOU KNOW, WE DID HAVE SOME
PROTESTS IN SOME OF OUR
COMMUNITIES, AND WE ALSO HAD
STAFF THAT WERE HARASSED WHEN
THEY WERE WALKING TO THEIR CARS
IN THE PARKING LOT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING WHAT
WE CAN TO PROTECT OUR STAFF,
PROTECT OUR PATIENTS IN THIS
ENVIRONMENT.
SO IT HAS CERTAINLY ADDED TO THE
STRESS THAT OUR STAFF HAS FELT
DURING THIS PANDEMIC AS WE ALL
KNOW THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS TAKEN
TRULY AN EXTREME TRIAL ON ALL OF
OUR WORKFORCE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS,
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THESE
COUNTIES WITH CRITICALLY HIGH
COVID CASE COUNTS RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE DO SERVE A
VERY RURAL POPULATION AND WE
KNOW THAT THERE ARE COUNTIES IN
OUR SERVICE AREA THAT HAVE LOWER
VACCINATION RATES THAN OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE.
HOWEVER, WE ARE HERE TO SERVE
OUR PATIENTS AND WE WILL TAKE
CARE OF PATIENTS.
WE HAVE A MULTIPRONGED APPROACH.
OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE
OUR PATIENTS TO BE VACCINATED.
WE HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION
AVAILABLE TO THEM AND WE WILL
ALSO SPEAK WITH THEM IF THAT
WOULD HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE
BENEFITS OF THE VACCINATION.
YET PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET
SICK.
THE RATE OF PEOPLE GETTING SICK
WITHOUT A VACCINATION IS MUCH
HIGHER THAN THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED.
BUT WE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR
PATIENTS.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO
HONOR OUR COMMITMENT TO PATIENT
CARE.
>> AND AS TO YOUR STAFF AND HOW
PEOPLE HAVE WEATHERED THIS
FATIGUE AND BURN-OUT AS IT'S
BEEN DESCRIBED, WHAT IS YOUR
MESSAGE TO THOSE OF YOU IN THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ON THE FRONT
LINES?
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH THERE WERE A
SINGLE MESSAGE, BECAUSE I THINK
THE MESSAGE WOULD BE LET'S HAVE
HOPE THAT WE WILL GET THROUGH
THIS AND COME OUT ON THE OTHER
END IN A BETTER PLACE.
AND I BELIEVE THERE IS TRUTH TO
THAT.
YET, I'VE ALREADY SAID THE
PANDEMIC REALLY HAS TAKEN AN
EXTREME TOLL ON OUR WORKFORCE.
THEY'RE EXHAUSTED FROM FIGHTING
THE PANDEMIC FOR TWO YEARS NOW.
WE HAVE OFTENTIMES BEEN
SHORTSTAFFED PEOPLE PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN SICK OR THEY'RE WORKING
EXTRA SHIFTS OR THEY'RE TAKING
CARE OF SICK FAMILY MEMBERS.
THESE WORK-RELATED CHALLENGES
ARE IMMENSE.
AND BEING A RURAL HEALTH CARE
PROVIDER, WE'VE HAD CHALLENGES
THAT PREDATED COVID, PREDATED
THE PANDEMIC.
MANY AREAS IN THE COUNTRY WITH
RURAL HEALTH, THAT ARE IN RURAL
HEALTH CARE, HAD ALREADY
EXPERIENCED A CRISIS WITH
HOSPITAL CLOSURES, SHORTAGES OF
WORK STAFF.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGHT THE
UNIQUE STRAIN THAT THIS HAS
BROUGHT TO US AND HELPING OUR
STAFF IF THERE ARE MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES, IF THERE ARE FINANCIAL
ISSUES, IF THERE ARE CHILD CARE
ISSUES.
WE'RE TRYING TO MEET THEIR NEEDS
THE BEST WE CAN.
AND, AGAIN, I THINK HOPE IS THE
WORD THAT WE NEED TO THINK
ABOUT.
WE HAVE HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE
BETTER.
>> DR. TURNEY, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR
WORK.
>> THANK YOU.
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