On Tuesday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors will consider a request from County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all County employees as a condition of employment.
“I would ask the board to require Covid-19 vaccinations for our employees as a condition to continued employment with Pima County,” Huckelberry wrote in a memo addressed to the board chair and all member of the board.
Huckelberry the decision of Banner Health to require vaccination of their employees as justification. “It is likely other healthcare providers will follow suit in the near future,” wrote Huckelberry. “It is now appropriate to require all Pima County employees to be vaccinated.”
However late last week, in an internal email, a Banner Health nursing director advised nursing staff that Banner Health’s human resources may exempt women who are breastfeeding, of childbearing age, and more from the mandate.
Pima County Human Resources Director Cathy Bohland only lists allowable exemptions as those “due to either a medical disability or a sincerely held religious belief.”
According to Bohland, of the approximately 6,800 employees, “2,046 have been vaccinated as they have requested an “I’m Vaccinated” badge and been verified in the vaccination database maintained by the State or via direct review of their vaccination card by the Human Resources Nurse Liaison.”
“Obtaining the “I’m Vaccinated” badge is voluntary,” explained Bohland, “therefore, we could have a higher number of employees that are vaccinated.”
Bohland says “it is difficult to ascertain the number of exemption requests,” given the high rate of vaccine hesitancy. That hesitancy is based in part to the fact that the vaccines do not have FDA approval and are considered experimental.
In April, Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order banning “vaccine passports” and preventing state and local governments from requiring Arizonans to provide their COVID-19 vaccination status to receive service or enter an area.
Under the Executive Order, state agencies, counties, cities and towns cannot issue a measure that requires an individual to provide documentation of their COVID-19 vaccination status in order to enter a business, building or area or to receive a government service, permit or license. Businesses contracting with the state to provide services to the public also cannot require documentation.
The Executive Order is silent as to the rights of those government employees, however.
Former Pima County supervisor, Ally Miller advised Board member Dr. Matt Heinz of her strong objection his vaccination agenda item and urged him to join his colleague Supervisor Steve Christy in opposing the requirement:
Dear Supervisor Heinz,
I am writing to express my strong objection to your agenda items related to mask and experimental shot mandates. Please use the correct terminology because the current shots are NOT vaccines.
By imposing these mandates, you are violating the civil rights of all members of this community.
What gives you the right to force experimental medicines on anyone?
County employees have the right to make their own medical treatment decisions. Any decisions I make regarding medical treatment is between me and my doctor. With all due respect sir, YOU are not my doctor.
Will Pima County be paying medical bills for those who experience adverse reactions? My health Insurance doesn’t cover experimental medical/drug treatments. Who will pay these costs in the event a county employee has an adverse reaction?
Terrorizing children by forcing them to wear masks which provide little ,if any, protections are inhumane and despicable .
Children can’t learn when they have headaches from oxygen deprivation! Children can’t learn when they are filled with angst and fear.
I await your citation of the scientific data you are using to make these draconian decisions. I have yet to see ANY data that would support these measures. In fact , the data shows just the opposite.
Many people have been harmed by these experimental drugs. Many have died! These experimental drugs are unproven and dangerous as outlined by the waiver that county employees will be coerced into signing prior to receiving the shot.
I recently saw a Pima county advertisement to recruit drivers to transport illegal aliens to various facilities . Your ad noted that this included transporting covid positive individuals. Why aren’t you focusing on the millions that are flooding into this country with active covid infections ? Why aren’t you doing your job and getting to the root cause ? The criminal invasion of our country is directly correlated with this most recent spike. It is called the Biden/ Democrat party covid variant.
The last time I checked , the United States has a constitution, and we still enjoy the freedoms and rights afforded by that constitution!
Shame on all of you who vote in favor of further harming our children, your employees, and our community.
I will NOT comply!
Most Sincerely,
Ally Miller
Pima County resident
District 1
“It appears that if Pima County proceeds with this scheme, they will soon be violating not only a governor’s executive order, but a state statute as well,” one Arizona Capitol insider told the ADI. “In about another month, the legislation enacted during the 2021 Legislative Session will go into effect. That legislation includes Budget Reconciliation Bill SB1824, which strictly prohibits the requirement of vaccine passports by the state government or any of its subdivisions, including Pima County.”
SB1824:
36-681. COVID-19 vaccine passport; prohibitions
A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, THIS STATE AND ANY CITY, TOWN OR COUNTY OF THIS STATE ARE PROHIBITED FROM ESTABLISHING A COVID-19 VACCINE PASSPORT OR EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. ANY PERSON TO BE VACCINATED FOR COVID-19.
2. A BUSINESS TO OBTAIN PROOF OF THE COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS OF ANY PATRON ENTERING THE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT.
B. ANY LAW OR ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A COVID-19 VACCINE PASSPORT IS VOID AND IS NOT ENFORCEABLE AGAINST ANY PERSON OR BUSINESS LOCATED IN THIS STATE.