An agency that oversees hospitals in Florida warned providers not to implement COVID-19 vaccine regulations for employees on the grounds that state law prohibits such rules and imposes hefty fines on offenders.

The State Health Care Administration, which oversees hospitals and other medical institutions, sent a copy of Notify the supplier on January 4 Remind them that state law prohibits private employers from enforcing COVID-19 vaccine regulations. This puts the supplier in a tricky position, because compliance with Florida law means non-compliance with two vaccine regulations of the Biden administration, both of which face legal challenges.

“The recent actions of the Biden administration trampled on the rights of healthcare providers and created inequality and uncertainty in law enforcement among the states, and a lawsuit challenging the CMS rules is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court,” Simone, Secretary of AHCA · Simone Marstiller said in a statement. statement. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida law prohibits full vaccination and protection of work, ensuring that our most vulnerable people have access to the health care services they need.”

Health care workers who are dismissed for this type of authorization can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Companies with more than 100 employees can be fined up to $50,000 per violation. For employers with fewer than 100 employees, fines can be as high as $10,000 per violation.

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Most health systems in Florida do not have strict COVID-19 vaccine regulations. Even the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Termination about 1% Among its 73,000 employees who failed to comply with its regulations, the company said it would postpone the firing of unvaccinated employees at its Florida campus.

“Until the outcome of a lawsuit related to Medicare and Medicaid Services Center requirements, Florida staff who do not comply with our vaccination plan will continue to be employed,” Mayo spokesperson Kevin Ponsky said.

Ponsky declined to say how many of Mayo’s 7,400 employees in Florida have not been vaccinated.

The Memorial Health Care System in Broward County is another system that has not yet performed its mission, although Margie Vargas, the system’s chief human resources officer, said that more than 90% of employees are vaccinated. Vargas said that once a final decision on the federal authorization is made, the memorial will consult its legal counsel on whether to implement the authorization.

“We are just in a holding mode,” she said. “We did not fire any employees.”

Vargas said that at the same time, more than 400 memorial employees (accounting for 3% of the health system’s workforce) were eliminated due to COVID-19 this week. In contrast, in the early stages of the pandemic, there can only be a maximum of 70 workers at a time.

“In the past few weeks, this situation has grown exponentially,” she said.

Spokesperson Geo Morales said Orlando Health did not authorize either. He said the system continues to “strongly encourage” all employees to be vaccinated.

Spokesperson Lisa Razler said that Clearwater’s BayCare health system is delaying vaccine authorization until it is clearer at the federal level. The system continues to monitor legal developments related to tasks.

Miami’s Jackson Health System also has no mandatory requirements, but it has begun to deduct $50 from the wages of employees who have never been fully vaccinated and have no medical or religious exemptions every two weeks, spokesperson Lidia Amoretti said. Currently, 85% of the more than 13,000 employees in the health system have been vaccinated.

Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale is a rare example of a system that does have a vaccine authorization. It is part of Trinity Health in Livonia, Michigan. Last summer became One of the first large health systems to announce COVID-19 vaccination in its 91 hospitals and 117,000 employees. Spokesperson Christine Walker stated that the Holy Cross is committed to the safety of its colleagues, patients and communities.

“As a result, we implemented the COVID-19 vaccine requirements before any CMS regulations or Florida laws on this matter were introduced,” she said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Ron DeSantis) Signed into law in November The state prohibits private employers from compulsory use of the COVID-19 vaccine and declared that “no one should be unemployed due to COVID-19 mandatory requirements.” On the same day, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (Ashley Moody) Announcing that the state is facing challenges The Biden government authorizes vaccines for medical staff.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear further clarifications on Friday about whether the CMS’s authorization of healthcare workers and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s authorization to most private employers can take effect during the oral debate during which they accept the appeal.