'Willing To Lose Everything': Unvaccinated Anesthesiologist Escorted From UCLA Medical Facility, Placed On Unpaid Leave
LOS ANGELES (CBSA) — Medical facilities are taking a hard line with employees who have not yet been vaccinated, even going so far as to escort them from the building if they try to go to work unvaccinated.
Dr. Christopher Rake, an anesthesiologist with UCLA, learned this firsthand when he tried to go to work on Monday – even though he has not been vaccinated. He was escorted from UCLA Medical Plaza in Westwood by three people.
In a video he recorded himself as he was being escorted from the facility, Rake tried to question the men walking him out.
"This is what happens when you stand up for freedom, and you show up to work, willing to work, despite being unvaccinated, this is the price you have to pay sometimes," he says in the video. "What they don't realize is that I'm willing to go lose everything…job, paycheck, freedom, even my life, for this cause."
Rake has since been placed on unpaid administrative leave for refusing to get vaccinated or request an exemption. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, UCLA said that employees who are not working remotely must be vaccinated or be exempt.
It's not clear if Rake will face any consequences for his actions on Monday.
Hospitals, airlines, and other large employers across the country are starting to bring the hammer down on workers who refuse to get vaccinated in defiance of company mandates. Earlier this week, California-based Kaiser Permanente said they had placed 2,200 employees on unpaid leave because they are not vaccinated, and they risk permanently losing their jobs if they continue to refuse the shot by Dec. 1.
