Following the recent announcement from Greene County Medical Center to require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, county and state officials are throwing their support.

Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf shares her reaction to the new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is set for a November 1st deadline for all staff to be fully vaccinated.

“I’m very proud of the leaders making that decision, the board (of trustees) members making that decision, that we have our patients and our communities in our best interest. People have rights when they seek medical care and one of those rights is that they can be assured that they’re going to be provided safe care and in a safe environment.”

As part of the new requirement, there are medical and religious exemptions from getting the vaccine, along with a woman deferring the vaccine while they are pregnant. 

Iowa District 24 Senator Jesse Green tells Raccoon Valley Radio he is fine with the decision that the medical center made, as long as the exemptions remain in place. He says they are waiting for the final rules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding the Biden Administration’s directive to require vaccines in certain workplaces.

“I expect that when those rules come out that we’ll probably have to sue, along with a lot of other states. I get a lot of push back from citizens that say, ‘You guys need to respond right now with a flat out ban against employer requirements on vaccines.’ I tend to agree with that but federal law trumps state law. I’m not against making a political statement, but as long as employers are respecting their employees, we’re fine.”

Green anticipates the OSHA rules to be released by October 15th.