A local nurse working in Michigan is calling it an insult.
Speaking on AM800's The Dan MacDonald Show, Connie Lapore says she applied to volunteer and assist the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit with its COVID-19 vaccination program but was rejected.
She says the health unit thanked her for applying but was told applications from healthcare workers, working in the United States would not be accepted at this time.
Lapore feels it's discrimination and says she's not the only one who was rejected.
"I know for a fact because I'm in a group with Canadian nurses from Windsor that work in the states, there were a lot, a lot of nurses that did fill this out that are willing to volunteer and we've all been denied," says Lapore. "So I don't know who's going to be handing out these vaccines because there aren't going to be enough nurses in Windsor to do it alone."
Photo courtesy: Connie Lapore's Facebook page
She says she has already been vaccinated.
"The U.S. got the vaccines a lot earlier than Canada so the majority of us were already vaccinated by the beginning of January," she says.
Lapore adds she was "not shocked" by the rejection but does not understand it.
"We are tested on an as need basis but the amount of PPE that your wear into a room, it's probably above and beyond what actually is required," says Lapore. "Every patient here is treated like they have COVID until they're ruled out."
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit did release a statement to AM800 news regarding the matter.
It reads, "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has gone to great lengths to protect privacy and confidentiality. The respect we give our clients also extends to people who choose to apply to work or volunteer with public health. We understand that some of our policies and processes may not be popular, but they are in place to promote, protect, and improve health and well-being for all in our community."
As heard on AM800 news earlier this month, the health unit put a call out to healthcare workers who are interested in volunteering during stage 3 of the region's COVID-19 rollout.