Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 11, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 33 Why I mandated the vaccine for my staff V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L T hroughout the course of this pandemic, healthcare workers and healthcare organizations have been in the direct line of fire for whatever incoming salvos COVID-19 blew our way. Now with U.S. Food & Drug Adminis- tration approval on vaccines proven effective in limiting the severity of the virus, we owe it to ourselves, our loved ones and our communi- ties to get vaccinated. We also owe it to our healthcare workers. As a hospital system, we must model the behavior we want to encourage and be the change we want to see in the community. Right now, the most pressing issue we are facing is this lingering pandemic, putting a strain on our hospitals and challenging our ability to care for patients. is is why I mandated all UMass Memorial Health employees get the vaccine, or face possible termination. e vaccine works. Latest studies show unvaccinat- ed people are up to 10 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated. e risk of being admitted to the hospital is dozens of times higher if one is unvaccinated and the risk of death is likewise far greater. While the various available vaccines are not perfect – as we are seeing with break-through cases – they are the best defense against the virus and our only hope to transition the pandemic from a global crisis to a more manageable viral infection, such as the influenza virus. Evolving pandemic. One of the arguments I've heard against our mandate is we have other protocols to protect patients and caregivers from COVID-19, such as wearing masks, using proper hand hygiene, etc. Fair point. But this isn't the same virus we were battling last year. It's almost as if we are in a brand-new pandemic with a stronger, more contagious, and more dangerous Delta variant. e infection prevention measures we've put in place are less effective now without fortifying protection with a vaccine. As healthcare workers – and that means all of us, even those who don't have direct patient contact – we have an ethical responsibility to care for the people we serve and each other. We have a higher moral obligation than if we worked for a corporation or a retail store. ousands of patients entrust their care to us, and we must do every- thing we can to Do No Harm, which includes doing what we can to protect them – and our 15,000 caregivers – from the deadliest public health crisis in our lifetime. Get the facts. e science tells us the only way for this pandemic to come to an end is to get more people vaccinated. For those who are unvaccinated, I recog- nize this may be a difficult decision. I've received some heart-breaking messages from our own unvaccinated employees who are downright scared. Sadly, a lot of mis- information out there has led to distrust of the vaccine. I encourage anyone who has questions or doubts about the vaccine to talk with their trusted healthcare profes- sional, their family, and loved ones so they can make an informed decision about this vitally important issue. Eric Dickson, MD is president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, in Worcester. BY ERIC DICKSON, MD Special to the Worcester Business Journal The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. Cannabis is an economic development tool Eric Dickson, MD W A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y R A M Ó N L . S A N D O V A L S ince the first adult-use marijuana retailers opened in Massachusetts in November 2018, the nascent industry has generated some $2.12 billion in revenues, according to the state Cannabis Control Commission. For the communities that choose to embrace this new group of businesses, their local 3% slice of the sales tax reve- nues – a figure on top of any property taxes – adds up to in excess of $60 million to date. In the months leading up to the 2016 ballot initia- tive eventually clearing the way for recreational canna- bis sales in Massachusetts, those against the measure warned of multiple boogeymen, who would bring traffic and increase crime – destroying the fabric of local communities. ey said pot shops would create public safety hazards in their communities, lead to a rise in under-the-influence automobile fatalities, spike drug use among children, and clog traffic for hours as crowds gathered to dispensaries. Yet, three years since the first dispensaries opened, none of this has come to pass. e damage wrought on our society by social media appears much more damaging than any ill effects of the cannabis industry. e various cannabis businesses in and around Central Massachusetts – which include dispensaries, cultivation facilities, manufacturing plants, and testing labs – have proved themselves to be strong supporters of their communities: creating jobs, donating to local causes, and ensuring legal operators in the industry remain above board. You could drive by any of the number of pot shops in Central Massachusetts and never know it, with the shopping experience feeling more like a trip to an upscale jeweler than the cousin of a back-alley deal. While many communities have benefited by pur- suing the industry, 23 communities around Central Massachusetts – like Holden, Westborough, Lancaster, and Auburn – have instituted either outright bans on all cannabis businesses, or partial bans against retail sales. Based on the evidence, it feels like it's due time for all communities in the region to li these pro- hibitions. While some municipalities may not want to actively court marijuana-related businesses, they should at least eliminate the bans and gain a few of the significant tax benefits coming from hosting the in- dustry. Our last editorial from the Sept. 27 edition was about the overuse of tax incentives to attract industry, but here, communities can get a premium for landing cannabis businesses. Much can be gained by embracing the industry. Worcester, which has 12 cannabis dispensaries in the city with another three slated to open, has collected $1.23 million in local tax revenue since sales first began in 2019. at number will grow annually as the city reaches its capacity of 15 marijuana retail busi- nesses. Likewise, the small town of Hopedale recog- nized the potential to build its tax base with cannabis businesses in the Blackstone Valley where almost half of its surrounding communities have enacted marijuana restrictions. Hopedale already has one open cannabis shop in town, with two more on the way. Legalizing marijuana may have been a controversial topic five years ago, but that time has passed. Aer a few fits and starts, the industry has proven itself to be an asset to the Central Massachusetts business community. Cities and towns around the region need to recognize that fact, or risk being le on the outside looking in. W

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