Citing their desire to protect patients, visitors, colleagues and communities, hospitals and health systems across the U.S. have announced COVID-19 vaccination requirements for employees. But protests have also popped up, organized by people who oppose these policies.
Here are 14 hospitals and health systems where healthcare workers have participated in protests in August.
Note: This is not a comprehensive list.
1. A group protested at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center Aug. 30 over a state mandate requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated, according to Spectrum News 1.
2. Healthcare workers protested vaccine mandates outside Hartford (Conn.) Hospital Aug. 28, according to WFSB.
3. Healthcare workers protested Aug. 28 over Morgantown-based West Virginia University Health System's decision to mandate vaccines, according to WBOY.
4. Workers participated in a protest Aug. 18 of Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care's vaccination requirement, according to FOX13.
5. Workers and community members gathered outside Bowling Green, Ky.-based Med Center Health Aug. 18 to protest the company’s vaccination requirement for employees, according to WBKO.
6. Workers participated in a protest Aug. 18 of Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System's vaccination requirement, according to Fox 5.
7. Workers protested outside of St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Ky., over the health system's vaccination requirement, WXIX reported Aug. 15.
8. Workers protested outside of Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital Aug. 19 over the hospital's decision to require vaccination as a condition of employment, according to WHIO.
9. Workers participated in a protest Aug. 16 of Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health's vaccination requirement, according to the Beacon Journal.
10. Nurses and others protested outside Riverside (Calif.) Community Hospital Aug. 9 over a state order requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated, according to The Press-Enterprise.
11. A group of healthcare workers protested vaccine mandates as a condition of employment Aug. 9 outside UCHealth's Anschutz campus in Aurora, Colo., according to news station KMGH.
12. Some employees of Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare joined other protesters Aug. 7 to push back against the health system's vaccination requirement, according to 6 ABC.
13. Community members and healthcare workers gathered outside M Health Fairview St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, Minn., Aug. 7 to protest vaccination mandates from health systems in the Twin Cities area, according to news station KSTP.