Florida Department of Health confirms Dr. Raul Pino put on leave for encouraging Orange County Department of Health employees to get vaccinated
Summary
- The Florida Department of Health Medical Director that oversees areas of Orange County including Orlando has been put on leave for encouraging his own staff to get vaccinated.
- Orange County Medical Director Dr. Raul Pino wrote an email to staff on Jan. 4th encouraging them to get vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.
- In it he wrote, “I have a hard time understanding how we can be in public health and not practice it.”After sending the email he was placed on administrative leave.
- In an email to WMFE, the Florida Department of Health has confirmed Pino was put on leave because, “the decision to get vaccinated is a personal choice that should be free from coercion and mandates from employers.”Florida DOH says it’s even conducting an inquiry into whether any laws were broken by sending the email.
- Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has banned vaccine mandates in the workplace, and the state has seen a surge in Omicron cases.