August 19, 2021
A Letter to Somebody I Think I Know
I grew up on a gravel road in Stearns County, milking cows and bailing hay, which is a shorthand way of saying I back into my parking spots, can get to just about anywhere on back-roads, and grew up trusting authority (especially government) about as much as I trust gas station sushi. But now I am a lawyer, worse, a lawyer that worked for the government for many years, worse still, a former government lawyer that now works for CentraCare. I hope you can see why I started with the gravel road bit; I knew I’d be taking some serious hits. But just in case you think I’ve lost my ear for your strong voice and my feel for your independent spirit, both of which I value so much, let me try to do what lawyers are supposed to do: prove it.
If you are among the +60% vaccinated, thank you! Though I am not writing to you, I hope you’ll continue reading.
Who am I writing to? I write to my sisters and brothers that have yet to be vaccinated. I have been listening attentively and thinking deeply about you. Let me be specific, because the unvaccinated aren’t unvaccinated for the same reasons.
Some of you feel deeply misunderstood by a lot of people, because you aren’t against the vaccine, you’re against the mandate; it’s an affront to your sense of autonomy and idea of personal freedom.
Some of you have little or no trust in the mainstream media and believe you have clearly seen their bias against your views and values increase over time, so it seems silly to begin trusting those same sources of “truth” now on a matter of such importance.
Some of you don’t trust any authority, so you knew the moment authorities started promoting the vaccine, it was time to get skeptical.
Still others of you aren’t so much against anything, but rather just aren’t ready because you want to see the vaccine get its final approval from the FDA; you are seriously concerned how fast this vaccine came to market.
A few of you don’t think COVID is real. Fewer still think the disease is real, but the cure is worse and being used by government to take away your freedom. Among this group are also those who are against all of the executive actions taken by federal and state government in the past year.
Some of you think an employer mandate isn’t legal, or if it is, it shouldn’t be.
And there are those of you who have hard-to-place-fears around your personal lives; for you, it isn’t that you won’t take the vaccine, it’s that you won’t take it yet. This last group has a number of expectant mothers, or women who would like to be expectant mothers, and while you have read the studies, you remain uneasy.
What you all have in common, in spite of your diverse reasons for opposing, is that you are frustrated that some people tend to assume they know your reasons and those reasons are simple: they assume you don’t agree with science, or you aren’t intelligent, or that you believe in conspiracy theories. Frustration isn’t quite it; you are angry.
All of this, while you have given sweat and tears for CentraCare, Carris, and the broader community during one of the most challenging times in history. You are angry because last summer there were flyovers and free lunches and this year there are snide comments and more than a little side-eye.
You wish your colleagues knew that the same part of you they admired for being so brave, so dedicated, and so loyal to your work is the same part of you that is against this vaccine. It’s the other side of the same core in your soul. You draw upon the same inner strength when you must stay another shift, or manage another difficult patient, as you do when you say: I’m not okay with this vaccine yet.
I see you. We see you. The leadership of CentraCare doesn’t make this decision lightly. Let’s stop drawing caricatures of one another. A failure to agree is not a failure to understand each other. We all have family members that are resisting the vaccine, but they are still family. You don’t support the decision to make the vaccine a requirement of employment like I do, you are angry with me and everyone like me and…you are still my sisters and brothers.
I cannot do justice to each of your concerns and questions in this letter and I hope those of you who have written to me have found my responses to be respectful and relevant. This letter isn’t meant to answer every question, there will be more FAQs and communications forthcoming to address the concerns I’ve articulated above.
However, as General Counsel for CentraCare I do want to resolve one of those concerns. I have not only taken the time to read your letters, but I have also reviewed and researched the legality of an employer’s authority to make the Covid-19 vaccine a condition your employment. It is legal. For those interested, you can review our regulator’s website: What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov) . Additionally, this has already been challenged by hospital employees in Texas: USCOURTS-txsd-4_21-cv-01774-0.pdf (govinfo.gov) and a federal judge has dismissed their claim in this short ruling in favor of the policy.
I know this is cold comfort at a time that you are exhausted, angry, and bewildered by what could possibly change next.
My hope is that we will all remain in the solidarity of wounded healers; men and women, in spite of their disagreements, willing to fulfill the American Motto: E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One.
With Deep Gratitude,
Santo Cruz
Chief Legal Officer, Senior Vice President
We welcome comments from CentraCare and Carris Health employees. Please include your name and CentraCare/Carris Health email when submitting your comment.
appreciate this thoughtful, intelligent, respectful discourse. gives me some hope for how to deal with my family members.
Thank you for your message Santo. Very well written and sincere.
I like that you have acknowledged that you see the people and you hear the people but it makes me sad the people are being forced to choose between their jobs and beliefs. Why do they have to trade their freedom to choose for a paycheck. Doesn’t seem right. I am vaccinated on my own accord- my mom died from COVID and my dad wouldn’t allow company unless vaccinated (he had a double lung transplant). If it wasn’t for him- I’d be out of a job come December as I wouldn’t sell out to any corporation- because I’m stubborn like that.
I would like for people to think with more empathy if they are considering getting the vaccination. Maybe the person next to you on the bus or your patient your putting in a room is a transplant recipient- the vaccination does not work the same way in those patients because of the anti-rejection drugs and immunosuppressive drugs they have to take in order to keep the body from rejecting the organs. You are literally getting the vaccination to protect others at that point and don’t we all want to care for others when its possible?
Thank you for this great, extensive information. Thank you all for your comments.
Thank you for sharing your message. The road ahead is going to be challenging. The more we seek to understand each other and stay curious, the more likely we can overcome these challenges and keep our communities safe and healthy.
Thank you for acknowledging “the other side” for being more than just the opposition. On both sides of the vaccine debate we will find living breathing intelligent human beings who have done research that has lead them to where they are in their opinions and personal decisions. We each find our own way through the storm, even if we can’t follow the same path. It is my strong belief that the most important thing we can do at this point is maintain respect for each other and remember that we stand side by side as the same people we were prior to the pandemic.
Thank you Santo for this well spoken, well thought out message. My hope is that the employees of CentraCare will read the message with an open mind and an open heart and truly think about the facts, and what is best for our patients and our communities.
Thanks so much Santo for your letter and thank you for taking the time to acknowledge the opinions and feelings on both sides. While I do support the vaccines I do think that it is still important to listen to others so they can feel heard.
Thank you, Santo, for your considerate letter. I appreciate you identifying the various reasons for people’s resistance to the COVID vaccine. The division—between those supporting the vaccine and those opposed—has caused significant injury to personal and professional relationships. I grieve the disharmony within my extended family, neighbors, and community. My hope it that we can all heal from the pain and heartbreak caused by the pandemic. I am grateful, Santo, for your efforts to promote understanding and restoration. Yours is not any easy job.
This “cold comfort” was the last straw for me before I wrote my resignation letter.
I have been fortunate to be part of many people’s vaccination experience at CentraCare and have witnessed excitement, relief, fear and apprehension about getting a COVID vaccination. Recently, I had one gentleman leave my booth after having some questions about whether he should get the vaccination only to return a half hour later to ask more questions. He didn’t end up choosing to vaccinate but I hope the seed is planted so that he will come back. Similarly I have seen patients in clinic that have recently lost a spouse to COVID or now have a life long disability due to their COVID infection. I too have relatives that have chosen to not vaccinate due to what they feel are real reasons for their choice. I have hope due to the large number of Minnesotans that have made the choice to vaccinate. I fully support the decision of CentraCare and other hospitals to require the vaccine for its staff. Masking, social distancing and vaccination are the way to beat this disease, we need to continue to be vigilant and be supportive of those that want more information in order to make their decision.
I appreciate your thoughtful response and acknowledgement of the complexity of this issue. I think one additional challenge isn’t so much the question of whether it’s LEGAL but rather if it is ETHICAL. There are, unfortunately, a number of things that are technically legal but many find it to be unethical. I value autonomy. Even though I chose to receive the vaccine, I am deeply saddened to hear that others are forced into the decision.
My body is a temple of God. I have deep religious beliefs about NOT getting this vaccine laden with Graphine Oxide and Aborted Fetal Tissue. Have you forgotten about Christ. Our immune system was created by God, not at the end of a needle. It is against the constitution, and religious exemptions are mandated by the constitution. You cannot deny them. I figured the lawyers would close all loopholes and have everything tied up with a pretty bow. Follow the money. Don’t know how many good nurses/employees you have to lose, but I guess you don’t care. FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS OUR GOD GIVEN RIGHT!!! Everything else is communism. If the vaccine works, why are vaccinated people in the ICU with Covid?? Something smells here. There are naturopathic ways to keep your immune system up. Why the big push? Again not giving us a choice is against the constitution. If we are supposed to work in soliditary like you letter states, why can’t vaccinated and unvaccinated work together. Why is it one sided? That’s not solidarity. That’s communism.
Thank you, Santo. This is so so hard. I appreciate your words and actions. I am hopeful we can find a way forward together. We care about our co-workers yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Santo, thank-you for sharing this. As someone who also grew up rural and loves my rural communities I am hearing from others concerns, fear and data supporting both sides of this. I want to share that I received my vaccine the first possible day it was available to me. I watched my family with COVID back in November of 2020 and was fearful their symptoms wouldn’t be mild. Thankfully I didn’t get COVID when they did. However, I did get COVID, yes a breakthrough case, and I can tell you it isn’t fun. I can’t image what my symptoms would have been had I not received the vaccine. I was also offered monoclonal antibodies and I would recommend this treatment as my symptoms did improve after the treatment. I am sharing this because we are all at risk with or without the vaccine, the risk is less with the vaccine. The vaccine has been proven to decrease the severity of the symptoms and with the vaccine I was less likely to be hospitalized. I have isolated to prevent any potential spread, I want to get back to real life and more than anything I want this pandemic to be over. I don’t want anyone else to get sick, to miss doing the things they love to do, or have their entire household quarantine and miss out. It is hard to imagine the unknown and no one knows how the virus will impact them. I do know the vaccine protected me and I am grateful.