Earlier this year, three activists who are opposed to COVID vaccines and standard treatment protocols for the illness were elected to the board of Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital's campus in Sarasota, Fla. Three newly-elected members of the public hospital's board are so-called"health freedom" activists who are opposed to COVID vaccines and treatment protocols for the illness.Courtesy of Sarasota Memorial Hospital
But with seats opening on the Sarasota Memorial Hospital's board earlier this year, a group of political activists opposed to COVID protocols saw an opportunity. Now, the hospital has three new board members who question the effectiveness of vaccines and spread medical misinformation. While they're a minority on the nine-person board, their victory has thrown the hospital board's typically quiet meetings into chaos.
"These people need to be heard. And we have a spotlight on us in Sarasota. We can be the change that everyone else needs in other health care systems," said Bridgette Fiorucci, one of the new board members, at the November meeting.Fiorucci, a registered nurse who has worked on the front lines during the pandemic, told NPR in an interview that she's never gotten the COVID vaccine.
Many of the hospital's doctors and nurses spoke up at the board meeting to push back against accusations that the hospital failed the community.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
COVID tally: COVID-19 hospitalizations are 11% higher than they were two weeks agoThere are about 40,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S., a figure that is 11% higher than it was two weeks ago, according to the most recent update of a...
Read more »
COVID Isolated People. Long COVID Makes It WorseThere's no question that COVID-19 cut people off from one another -- but for those who have long COVID, that disconnect has never really ended.
Read more »
China reports zero new COVID deaths for Dec 20 vs 5 day earlierChina reported no new COVID-19 deaths for Dec 20, compared with five the previous day, but the nation's fatalities were revised to 5,241 after removing one death in Beijing, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.
Read more »
China reports five new COVID deaths for Dec 19 vs 2 a day earlierChina reported five new COVID-19 deaths for Dec. 19, compared with two the previous day, increasing the nation's fatalities to 5,242 the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.
Read more »
China races to install hospital beds as COVID surge sparks concern abroadCities across China scrambled to install hospital beds and build fever screening clinics on Tuesday as the United States said Beijing's surprise decision to let the virus run free was a concern for the world.
Read more »
China Covid: Five deaths under country's new counting methodChina has been experiencing a surge in Covid cases after restrictions were eased earlier this month.
Read more »