PETOSKEY, MI -- A local hospital is telling its employees to get a flu shot, or find a new job.

This is an order that's causing some controversy.

Northern Michigan Regional Health System has mandated that all employees must get a flu shot.

But not everyone likes being forced into vaccination.

It all boils down to what they think is best for patients.

The hospital employs 2200 and they don't want the flu spreading around.

Still, some employees say they should have the right to choose.

"If we're not comfortable taking this vaccine, I don't think we should be forced to do it," said health system employee Patty Schanski.

Patty Schanski says she's a believer in flu shots, but a bad reaction to the shot a few years ago has her apprehensive. And she's not alone.

"I took today and tomorrow off to see what the avenues I can look into and see what my other options are," said Sarah LaCount, an employee.

Last week, LaCount and Schanski received this letter in the mail from the Health System, saying that in compliance with her employment, if she does not receive her influenza vaccination by Wednesday, December first, her status will be considered a voluntary resignation from NMRHS.

"It takes away all of our rights, there should be a personal belief exemption, and there's not, they're not offering it," said LaCount.

But the hospital disagrees.

"The people who are impacted by influenza are the elderly, the young, and the people that are sick, just the people we care for in our hospital setting," said Dr. Gunner Deery.

Dr. Deery is an Infectious Disease Specialist and was on the leadership committee to make it mandated that health system employees, all 2200 of them, receive an influenza vaccine.

“You need 90 plus, almost 100 percent, to really develop, create a ring of immunity so when somebody comes into our organization sick, they're not going to be infected by one of our employees," said Dr. Deery.

He says the decision is to help protect patient safety, and like it or not, most employees will likely concede.

"I wrestled with it for several weeks, I do need to keep my job, so I will succumb to the policy, but not happily," said Schanski.

Dr. Deery says this is a step in the right direction to provide the best for patients.

For Sarah LaCount, she says she's not sure if she'll get the shot, but if she does, she'll continue fighting against the mandate.

The only employees who will be exempt will be those with contraindication issues or for religious reasons.