Rochester lawmakers divided on Mayo Clinic's vaccine mandate

With Mayo Clinic’s vaccination deadline looming, local lawmakers are at odds about whether the policy is in the best interest of staff and patients.

In a letter sent this month to Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, 38 Republicans from the Minnesota House called on the Rochester-based health system to abandon its Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all staff, saying they “do not believe it is ethical, nor is it realistic.”

The group of lawmakers, which included Reps. Nels Pierson of Rochester and Duane Quam of Byron, noted that they are not opposed to vaccinations in all cases. However, they said there are “legitimate concerns” regarding the vaccines, including a lack of long-term safety data.

“We are simply asking that both sides be acknowledged and considered in your vaccine policy,” wrote the Republican lawmakers. “People deserve to make this decision based on the benefits and risks for themselves and not coerced or forced into doing so by threat of losing one’s job.”

The GOP lawmakers also cited concerns about Mayo’s “inconsistent” process for religious and medical exceptions, which they said set workers up for failure and provided little opportunity for personalization.

Mayo has not said how many employees applied for a religious or medical exemption, but said this week it has approved ”the majority of exemptions sought” by staff. The organization says any employee who is not vaccinated and has not received an exemption by Jan. 3 will be terminated.

As of two weeks ago, about 93 percent of Mayo staff had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, up from 88 percent in October.

Mayo’s medical team has repeatedly said that vaccination remains the best tool available for preventing Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths.

“While Mayo Clinic does not want to lose any of its valued staff, Mayo remains firmly committed to requiring vaccination for staff to help ensure the safety of our patients, staff, visitors and communities,” a Mayo spokesperson said earlier this month.

The renewed debate around vaccine mandates comes as hospitals across the state continue to see a surge in hospitalizations for Covid-19.

The strain on capacity led the leaders of nine Minnesota health care systems, including Dr. Farrugia, to put out a plea this week, saying its hospitals are overwhelmed and its workers demoralized.

“Doctors, nurses and people working in health care are doing everything they can to support the health of all Minnesotans,” Mayo wrote. “And yet, every day our health care workers see avoidable illness and death as a direct result of Coivid-19. Health systems have risen to every challenge put before them, but they are overwhelmed and cannot continue to carry this burden.”

Rep. Tina Liebling, a DFLer from Rochester, cited the current situation in her rebuke of the letter written by her Republican colleagues in the House. She accused GOP state legislators of working to disrupt vaccinations, adding that their “attack on Mayo Clinic is particularly disturbing.”

“They question Mayo’s scientific judgment and decisions about how to best protect its patients and even threaten to withhold state funding if they don’t get their way,” said Liebling, chair of the Minnesota House Health Finance and Policy Committee. “Meanwhile, doctors, nurses, and health care leaders are pleading with Minnesotans to get vaccinated and take other precautions to fight the pandemic. It’s past time for Republicans to abandon extremism and help fight this threat to our public health.”

Mayo has made no indication it will reconsider its staff vaccination mandate, even as the Biden administration’s vaccine directive for health care workers gets tied up in court. Some other hospital systems, including Cleveland Clinic, have dropped their mandate — at least temporarily — in light of a recent court decision striking down the federal requirement.

In their letter, Republican lawmakers said Mayo should do the same to avoid losing staff, particularly in the rural areas it serves. They threatened to cut off funding aimed at addressing health care worker shortages to organizations like Mayo that continue with the mandate.

“We will not support state funding for programs like these, or any other funding, for any healthcare facility that fires their employees due to unrealistic vaccine mandate policies,” wrote the GOP lawmakers.

(Update: An appeals court ruled on Wednesday that the federal requirement can stand in 26 states, including Minnesota. The vaccine mandate covers health care workers in facilities that receive funding from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.)

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover photos: Rep. Pierson (left) and Liebling