The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS or Penn Medicine) still requires employees to get the COVID-19 shot. Recently Penn Medicine sent a letter to its employees letting them know that if they have a religious objection to the vaccine related to aborted baby cell lines, the Novavax shot uses no such cells in its development, testing or production.
And while Penn Medicine is not currently adding safety precautions for its employees who have not received the COVID shot, the letter warns that depending on circumstances, it may become necessary to reintroduce precautions such as masking, wearing eye protection, daily screening, testing, social distancing, and dining alone.
One Penn Medicine employee, who is not being named for fear of losing their job, is worried that this letter is setting the stage for getting rid of those who did not get the shot.
“Failure to comply with any health or safety requirements that are implemented may result in your removal from the workplace as well as discipline up to and including termination of employment,” the letter said. “In the event that health and safety precautions are not sufficient to maintain a safe work environment, individual assessments may be conducted to determine whether individuals can safely remain in their position.”
If Penn Medicine decides someone without COVID shots cannot safely stay in their position, Penn Medicine will make an effort to place the employee in a different position, but if none can be found, or if an employee refuses to take an offered position, they may lose their job.
Those seeking job transfers within the system may also find it difficult without the COVID shot, the letter said. “An individual assessment will need to be performed to determine whether your exemption can be accommodated in the position for which you are applying. If it cannot be accommodated for health and safety reasons, you will not receive further consideration for the position.”
Worked From Home
Many who have remained employed at Penn Medicine risked their health by working in healthcare before COVID shots became available and less was known about the deadly virus. When the shot became a job requirement, some lost their jobs when they refused to take the COVID shot. Others were allowed to remain at work but followed safety requirements.M. Theresa Piner was among those who lost their jobs, and now she is in court seeking damages from the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Wissahickon Hospice of UPHS, where she was employed.
Between 2007 and 2021, Ms. Piner was employed by Penn Medicine in a variety of positions, court papers say. Ms. Piner held two positions, manager of insurance authorization for Penn at Home and clinical outcome and reimbursement specialist.
Both positions were entirely remote. Ms. Piner worked from home and had no direct contact with Penn Medicine staff or patients, but she was still subject to UPHS policies and mandates.
She requested a religious exemption in June 2021, and in July 2021, Ms. Piner received an email informing her that her request for religious exemption had been denied. The email said she could not appeal the decision, and her only options would be vaccination or termination. In September 2021, UPHS terminated her employment. Ms. Piner filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission alleging improper denial of religious accommodation. She also filed an identical complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC), court papers said.
In April 2022, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission issued a finding of no probable cause, saying that providing Ms. Piner with a religious exemption to the shot would place an undue burden on Penn Medicine, as she is tasked to meet face-to-face with patients and other healthcare workers and allowing her to remain unvaccinated would put others at risk and would cause a direct threat to the safety of the staff that she works with.
The EEOC adopted the findings of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in an Oct. 3, 2022 letter and issued Ms. Piner the right to sue. Her case, which is handled by Bruce L. Castor Jr., a lawyer based in Southeastern Pennsylvania, accuses UPHS of religious discrimination and seeks compensation for lost wages and damages for emotional distress.
“Neither of Ms. Piner’s positions with Penn Medicine required in-person contact with patients or Penn Medicine staff, as both positions were 100 percent remote,” court papers said.
The case is next expected to have a settlement conference.
“Penn Medicine’s position is simply unreasonable. It is advancing a social agenda favoring the vaccine and losing sight of common sense in the process,” Castor told The Epoch Times in an email. “Forcing longtime excellent employees like Mrs. Piner to choose between their religious freedom guaranteed in the Constitution and their livelihood defies logic. She works completely remotely. Penn Medicine here elevates the ‘Big Brother’ concept for no other reason than it, as a matter of social policy, favors people being vaccinated even though our client poses no risk to its other employees whatsoever.”
A Penn Medicine spokesperson provided this email statement.
“The health and safety of all our patients, workforce, and visitors is our top priority, and our COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Penn Medicine staff is among our enterprise-wide safety measures. As a health system which operates across multiple different municipalities in two states, in which many providers and patients work or receive care in different facilities, our immunization policies are consistent across our entire organization. Requests for COVID-19 vaccination religious and medical exemptions continue to be accepted and honored in accordance with legal requirements.”
