For Immediate Release
Monday, March 31, 2003
AFSCME: Smallpox Plan Still Dangerously Inadequate
Statement by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald W. McEntee
President Bush's latest smallpox plan is still dangerously inadequate and puts America's health care workers and first responders at risk. Recent news reports of the three individuals who died after suffering heart attacks that may be linked to the vaccination, along with the known health risks, should give pause to consideration of a bill that does not provide the basic safeguards needed to keep our health care workers and first responders safe.
President Bush should not expect America's health care workers and first responders to accept these serious and potentially life threatening risks.
The legislation fails to ensure that the smallpox program will be carried out safely, in stark contrast to the existing program for military personnel. The plan does not include requirements that would reduce injuries by making sure only thoroughly screened candidates receive the vaccination. A careful program to screen and monitor workers will not only save lives, it will reduce the amount of federal money needed for compensation. The plan leaves cash-strapped state and local health departments to pay for and conduct screenings on their own.
Another significant flaw in the bill is that funding for the compensation program is not mandatory. Workers who have lost their health and livelihood should not have to wage a fight for compensation each year. And the compensation schedule assumes that workers will also be receiving benefits under state workers' compensation programs, a premise that is uncertain in most states. The lifetime maximum benefit payable to families of deceased workers or to those who are disabled will not protect against financial ruin.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the nation's largest public service employees and health care workers union with 1.3 million members.
