Many nurses and healthcare workers have been seeing the writing on the wall for months now. Hospitals across the United States have been sending notices to their workers, pressuring them to get vaccinated. On Veteran’s Day, Missoula’s Community Medical Center went a step further and told workers that they need to either get vaccinated or find new work.

“We fully support the federal vaccine mandate,” the notice from Missoula’s 4th largest employer stated. “We know the COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against this virus and getting vaccinated supports our mission of Making Communities Healthier.”

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The “Making Communities Healthier” marketing campaign may appear to be a contradiction on its face, however. One worker who shared the notice they received estimated that up to a quarter of the organization’s workforce could be terminated. This is on top of staffing shortages that started to pick up in mid-September. Without nurses and staff to man hospital beds, the beds have to be shutdown, reducing the hospital’s overall capacity.

According to Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services hospital capacity report data, since September, Community Medical Center has lost over 26% of its bed capacity going from 139 total beds in early September to 103 beds as of Monday. Since October of last year, the hospital has lost 32% of its overall bed capacity.

Statewide, Montana hospitals have lost 460 total beds since August, a reduction of 15% of the state’s overall bed capacity. Governor Greg Gianforte mobilized the National Guard to fill in for staff reductions at Missoula hospitals mid-September, sending 24 Guard to Missoula after a request from the county on September 17th. Another Missoula hospital, St. Patrick’s Hospital, has lost 12% of their total bed capacity since mid-September, as well.

Community Medical Center told staff that they had by Monday, December 6th, to receive either the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. If workers refuse, they will be placed on administrative leave. If workers are not fully vaccinated or have not taken their second shot by January 4th, 2021, they will be fired within seven days of the deadline.

The hospital vaccine mandate is likely a violation of a new state law, however. House Bill 702, passed in the most recent legislative session, protects workers against being discriminated against based on vaccination status.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed a lawsuit November 5th, asking a federal court to immediately block the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers. If allowed to take effect, the illegal mandate will harm Montana employers and employees who are already struggling.

“If a president can unilaterally force people to submit to a medical procedure they don’t want, then there’s seemingly no limit to the federal government’s control over our lives. President Biden’s illegal mandate is an egregious overreach and sets the country down a dangerous path,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “Forcing these injections on Montanans at the threat of losing their jobs infringes on the rights of our state, individuals, and businesses. Montanans are already suffering under President Biden from supply chain problems and worker shortages. His illegal dictate will only make the crisis worse.”

Florida legislators are discussing withdrawing from OSHA. “We want out of OSHA. We’ll submit our own regulatory authority and say goodbye to the federal government,” House speaker Chris Sprowls said during a press conference regarding a special session starting next week.