PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) - MaineHealth confirmed Monday night the organization offered vaccinations for COVID-19 to all team members as well as contractors from out of state.
Our news partner, News 8, began asking questions after receiving an anonymous letter over the weekend from a group who identified themselves as “A Group of Concerned MMC Employees.”
A spokesperson for MaineHealth said late Monday that during the week of Jan. 17, they offered vaccines to a ‘small number’ of people from out of state who were brought to Maine Medical Center in Portland for informational sessions as nursing staff considered whether to form a union.
MaineHealth confirmed last month the company Reliant Labor Consultants was brought in for this service.
The company advertises services on its website such as “avoiding a union” and “fighting a union.”
The spokesperson for MaineHealth said that in December, the organization started offering vaccinations to all care team members, saying doing so is critical since a majority of those working remotely will staff mass vaccination clinics.
MaineHealth provided a statement which said, in part, “MaineHealth stands by its decision to secure its full health care system by vaccinating its full care team.”
The spokesperson also explained that on Jan. 18, new state guidance clarified that only Maine residents are eligible to receive a vaccine.
“We understand that non-Maine residents are not eligible for any vaccine and acknowledge that we erred in vaccinating those individuals,” the statement also read.
We brought the concerns outlined in the anonymous letter to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Jackie Farwell, a spokesperson for the agency, said of those eligible for vaccination, “it does not include others such as staff who only provide telehealth or administrative, it, or billing services and who are not patient facing, among others. Maine DHHS has informed MaineHealth and other vaccine providers of these guidelines and consistently communicated this definition.”
WMTW requested an interview with leadership from MaineHealth but were provided a statement from the organization instead.
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MaineHealth gave COVID-19 vaccine to anti-union contractors and non-front-line staff - WABI
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