A former faculty member at the New York City-based NYU School of Medicine claims the institution terminated her employment in January for refusing to receive an influenza vaccination, the BMJ reports.
Leonore Tiefer, PhD, a former associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, alleged she was fired in January after she did not provide officials with evidence she received a flu shot, according to the report. Ms. Tiefer told BMJ she was "dismayed and surprised" by her termination because she worked in a nonclinical role and did not interact with any patients. She claimed she also knew of other nonclinical colleagues who were also terminated for not receiving the vaccine, according to the report.
In a statement obtained by BMJ, Michael Phillips, MD, chief epidemiologist at the NYU Langone Medical Center said, "As a healthcare provider, ensuring patient safety is our principal goal. That is why we insist that our employees do everything they can to protect themselves and their families from the flu and help us reduce the risk of spreading it to our patients. This includes getting an annual flu shot. If an employee continues to refuse a flu shot, he or she can be subject to disciplinary action, including an unpaid leave of absence. We wish to be respectful of our employees but must remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our patients."
When asked why the policy applies to nonclinical staff, a press officer for the institution told BMJ those issues "are currently being contested and we do not think it is appropriate to go into that level of detail outside the scope of those matters," according to the report.