Baldwin Co. pediatricians: state COVID bill puts them at odds with law, policies - NBC 15 WPMI
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WPMI) — Alabama pediatricians are raising concerns over a state bill which, in part, prevents businesses from turning away customers who aren't vaccinated.
The goal of House Bill 267 is to prohibit state and local governments from issuing vaccine passports.
However, it also says businesses can't turn unvaccinated people away, without identifying which immunizations qualify.
When it comes to vaccine hesitancy, we now often only think of COVID-19.
Pediatric immunizations against diseases, like Hepatitis B and the measles, have long been recommended by the CDC and required of school-aged children.
But vaccine supportive pediatricians still find themselves in situations where parents of their patients disagree.
"If they don't trust my professional opinion to provide the best advice and care for their child on something as fundamental as vaccines, then it really makes it difficult for us to establish a good relationship going forward," said Fairhope pediatrician Dr. Katrina Skinner.
Dr. Skinner, President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that conflict can lead to lengthy efforts to find middle ground.
If compromise isn't possible, Dr. Skinner said she will remove the child as a patient.
"The parent and I both want their child to have the best life and the best care possible. It's just that we disagree with the way to approach that. And so, what I want for the parent is to find a physician who agrees with their approach," Dr. Skinner said.
Alabama House Bill 267, passed by legislators in May, could put similar pediatricians in a tough spot.
The vaccine passport bill also prevents businesses from turning away unvaccinated customers, but the wording isn't limited to COVID-19 immunizations.
It reads:
“An entity or individual doing business in this state may not refuse to provide any goods or services, or refuse to allow admission to a customer based on the customer’s immunization status or lack of documentation that the customer has received an immunization.”
Dr. Skinner recommends other pediatricians continue to provide the best care and counseling to parents of patients.
"Pediatricians are law abiding, rule following citizens but right now they're in a position where they want to do what's right to protect their patients and their patient populations. But they want to make sure they're not in violation of the law," said Dr. Skinner.
Dr. Skinner recommends parents do their research before selecting a pediatrician to make sure their health care values align.
She's hopeful the wording of the bill will be revised for clarity in the future.
source: https://mynbc15.com/news/local/baldwin-co-pediatricians-state-covid-bill-puts-them-at-odds-with-law-policies
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