Letter does not address why frontline workers who have seen the worst of COVID don’t want shots
By Will Collette
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| Famous last words |
Never mind that the medical community as a whole is vaccinated and urges all eligible people to get vaccinated, somehow these state representatives, including Charlestown’s own Flip Filippi, think anti-vaxxer health workers should get a pass.
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| These are the kind of health care workers our legislators should be supporting |
“While Care New England truly values each member of our staff, and respects the personal choice of individuals to make the best decisions for themselves and their families, it has a responsibility offer its patients peace of mind by providing them access to fully vaccinated health care workers to preserve their overall well-being. Those who opt not to get vaccinated are choosing not to fulfill a requirement of their position and will no longer be allowed to work.”
Dan McKee, who has been wishy-washy ever since he took office after Gina Raimondo left for Washington, may cave in to this effort to halt one of his few strong actions to slow down the pandemic.
The letter was apparently organized by Rep. Arthur “Doc” Corvese (DINO-No. Providence). “Doc” has the nickname because he is a practicing optometrist.
In that respect, he is similar to anti-vax Trumplican Senator Rand Paul (Kentucky) who is an ophthalmologist who is himself self-certified by his own National Board of Ophthalmology.
Neither Doc Corvese nor Rand Paul have any experience or training
remotely related to the treatment of infectious viral diseases.
Here is the entire letter sent to McKee by Doc Corvese and his cohorts.
FROM THE STATE HOUSE NEWS BUREAU: Below is a statement sent to the governor this morning by 33 representatives. If you have any questions, please contact Rep. Arthur Corvese at (401) 829-9986. Thank you.
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Dear Governor Daniel J. McKee:
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic of the last 18 months, those professionals that were society’s first line of defense against the virus—among the many, our nurses, doctors, CNAs, police, fire, emergency personnel—were lauded as “heroes” and “saviors” during this historic time of crisis. Undaunted and unvaccinated, these individuals performed their daily duties at great personal risk to keep the rest of us healthy and the rest of us safe.
However, now some of those same “heroes” and “saviors” are facing the loss of employment due to state executive orders mandating COVID- 19 vaccinations prior to October 1st. While we strongly urge all adults to get vaccinated, we also believe none of our “heroes” should be in the unemployment line should they make the personal decision to decline vaccination.
We, the undersigned members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, are respectfully calling upon Governor Daniel McKee to amend the October 1st deadline for termination of employment for those licensed professionals choosing not to be vaccinated, and to direct the Rhode Island Department of Health to develop appropriate guidelines for those individuals to retain their employment while maintaining the public health.
If
appropriate governmental action is not taken within the given time frame to
protect these workers’ jobs, we respectfully request Speaker Shekarchi to
reconvene the Rhode Island House of Representatives, in concert with the Rhode
Island Senate, to address this extreme and unjust mandate, and, moreover, to
set parameters for any future state, municipal, and private sector mandates concerning
the commerce of daily life in the era of COVID-19.
Representative Arthur J. Corvese
Representative Thomas E. Noret
Representative Julie A. Casimiro
Representative Patricia A. Serpa
Representative Deborah A. Felella
Representative Charlene Lima
Representative Gregory J. Costantino
Representative Steven M. Casey
Representative Carlos E. Tobon
Representative Grace Diaz
Representative Anastasia P. Williams
Representative Camille Vella-Wilkinson
Representative Robert D. Phillips
Representative William W. O’Brien
Representative Robert E. Craven Sr.
Representative Edward T. Cardillo Jr.
Representative Bernard A. Hawkins
Representative Mary Duffy Messier
Representative Samuel A. Azzinaro
Representative Steven J. Lima
Representative Ramon A. Perez
Representative James N. McLaughlin
Representative Nathan W. Biah
Representative Raymond A. Hull
Minority Leader Blake A. Filippi
Representative Brian C. Newberry
Representative Michael W. Chippendale
Representative David J. Place
Representative Robert J. Quattrocchi
Representative Sherry Roberts
Representative George A. Nardone
Representative Patricia L. Morgan
Representative Justin Price