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Employees sue Ochsner LSU Health to block vaccine mandate

Ian Robinson
Monroe News-Star

Ochsner LSU Health is being sued by employees in an attempt to challenge the health system's COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a condition of employment. 

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 39 employees of Ochsner LSU Health on Tuesday. 12 of those plaintiffs are employed by Ochsner LSU Health - Monroe Medical Center. 

According to a news release from the plaintiff's attorney Jimmy Faircloth, the suits seeks to enforce the affirmative rights to refuse medical treatment under the Louisiana Constitution's Louisiana Informed Consent Statute.

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The plaintiffs are requesting a temporary restraining order for three hospitals, Ochsner LSU Health Monroe, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and Ochsner St. Mary Medical Center in Shreveport. They also ask for a preliminary injunction to enjoin the Ochsner vaccine mandate.

12 employees of Ochsner LSU Monroe have joined in a lawsuit with other employees within the healthcare system to challenge the requirement to get vaccinated as a condition of employment.

“This fight is just beginning. Every day we receive more calls and emails from employees around the state who are being forced to decide between taking medicine they do not want and feeding their families,” Faircloth said in the press release. 

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Ochsner LSU Health chief executive officer Chuck Daigle said in an interview with the Associated Press the healthcare system stands firmly behind the science and data that demonstrates the safety and efficacity of COVID-19 vaccination. 

"We stand behind that COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces transmission, severity of symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths," Daigle said. 

A similar lawsuit against Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center was dismissed when Fifteenth Judicial District Court Judge Thomas Frederick rejected the request of 47 OLG employees seeking to prevent the hospital from enforcing its Oct. 29 deadline for COVID-19 vaccinations among workers.

"This is a legal issue, not a medical issue, and not a science issue," Frederick said in his ruling.

"The defendant is a private business, not the state. Therefore, its actions are not unconstitutional or unlawful," he added.

More:Lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees dismissed by judge

The vast majority of Ochsner's 32,000 employees across Louisiana and in a small part of Mississippi, including more than 1,600 physicians, are already vaccinated, according to the Associated Press.

Faircloth told the News-Star they are currently waiting on a reply from the court on how it intends to proceed. 

Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinsonand on Facebook athttps://bit.ly/3vln0w1.

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