Sources inside Wisconsin’s largest children’s hospital were unable to properly care for the 18 children who were suddenly injured in a recent suspected domestic terrorism attack, which saw a man drive his SUV through a Christmas parade, because of staffing shortages incurred by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine mandates.
The situation came to light when a nurse employed at the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital, “who spoke on condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to speak on the record,” gave comment to Wisconsin-based 1130 WISN news talk radio on Nov. 24, calling the situation “a nightmare.”
The nurse said, “We just don’t have enough people and [supervisors] were frantically calling in everyone they could, but it wasn’t enough. We are taking care of everyone the best we can, but it’s hard.”
“A high-ranking official” who also spoke anonymously was paraphrased as saying the facility has hundreds of open positions and that they “attribute[s] much of the staffing shortage to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.”
According to the Hospital’s website, there are currently 238 positions currently seeking applicants. 165 of those positions contain the word “nurse,” results of which include positions such as assistants and sterile processing specialists.
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Another nurse interviewed by 1130 WISN was paraphrased as saying, “The staffing shortage was so severe that even Children’s President and CEO Dr. Peggy Troy was working the Emergency Department floor.”
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Troy was reported to have worked “until at least 2 a.m.”
A Nov. 15 analysis by Wisconsin-based think tank MacIver Institute attempted to estimate the number of staff impacted by mandatory vaccination requirements across 12 healthcare providers in the state, but encountered significant difficulties in data collection, “Healthcare systems were mostly tightlipped about the number of employees not in compliance. When they responded at all to our requests, they usually only provided a percentage.”
“Piecing their responses together with other media accounts and inside sources, MacIver estimates that about 800 healthcare workers in Wisconsin have been terminated over the mandates.”
The Institute continues, “That might not seem like many considering the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wisconsin had 175,920 healthcare workers in May 2020, and 800 would only come out to 0.5%. However, this is only part of the picture.”
Staffers interviewed by MacIver were paraphrased as saying “they believe hundreds more have resigned in protest before being fired.”
An Oct. 7 video posted to YouTube in protest of the Children’s Nov. 15 deadline for vaccine acceptance appeared to show several dozen workers who called for the Hospital to retract its policy.
A Nov. 15 post by one Twitter user showed a form of protest where staff members placed their work shoes, which they say have walked all throughout the facility as they’ve helped countless residents with their health, outside the facility.
Nonetheless, on Oct. 25, Milwaukee Business News reported that the Hospital claimed that 90 percent of its staff members had already accepted a COVID injection. That number increased to almost 100 percent among doctors.
MacIver Institute said that religious exemptions, due by Sept. 15, were denied at a rate of 70 percent, according to an unidentified source.
1130 WISN remarked that inside sources further reported that the Children’s manpower shortages were so severe that staffers who worked an additional 12 hours through the Thanksgiving weekend would be disbursed a massive $4,500 bonus.
A hospital official confirmed to the outlet that, “Administrators were giving out $1,000 bonuses to get nurses and other employees to work Sunday night into Monday morning,” read the article.
The official declined to comment on staffing issues or measures taken to handle the influx of patients following the Waukesha attack.
Nov. 26 reporting by Fox6 said that while half the children had already been able to return home, four were still in serious condition. An 8-year-old boy, Jackson Sparks, died from his injuries on Nov. 24.
