A woman who was a victim of domestic violence and was head-in-mouth by her ex-husband, causing her to lose her front teeth, has also lost her job at a supermarket chain for violating the government’s “smile policy”. shop.

Rose Marie Counts had been working at Sheetz in Circleville, Ohio, for a month when she was summoned to the manager’s office for violating company policy, which prohibits “obviously missing, chipped, or badly stained teeth.”

Counts was told she would no longer be allowed to work for the company until her smile was fixed – a process that could take up to nine months while she waited for the swelling to subside to receive a proper denture fitting.

The Pennsylvania-based company has about 650 locations and says it is now reviewing its unusual policy, which states, “Applicants with obviously missing, chipped or severely discolored teeth (unrelated to a disability) are not qualified for employment at Sheetz. “

A victim of domestic violence, Rose Marie Counts lost her front teeth after her ex-husband headbutted her while she was being fired from her job at a supermarket

The Pennsylvania-based company has about 650 locations and says it is now reviewing its unusual policy, which states, “Applicants with obviously missing, chipped or severely discolored teeth (unrelated to a disability) are not qualified for employment at Sheetz. “

Counts shared her despair at the unfair loss of her job on her Facebook page.

“I was asked to come into the office at work. I was nervous as I had only been with the company for about a month. When I entered the office, the manager called up the company policy regarding employee appearances. I have been informed that by policy all Sheetz employees must have and remain a perfect, beautiful, warm greeting smile. If you are an employee of this company and break a tooth, you have 90 days to have it repaired,” Counts wrote online.

Then, in a heartbreaking conversation that was secretly recorded and posted to social media, Counts was told she was no longer allowed to work for the company.

The conversation begins with her supervisor showing some understanding of the position of Counts, who had a new set of upper front teeth and was about to have a new set of lower teeth – a long and painful process in and of itself.

Counts shared her despair at the unfair loss of her job on her Facebook page

“If you can write a letter – a detailed written plan detailing the time, duration and cost of the repair. I know you said you would do some work,” the manager asks.

“I had my uppers done and my lowers are due later this month. My insurance doesn’t pay for me to have temporary teeth, so it takes three months for the swelling to go down and then they get them done, which can take up to six months,” Counts explains.

“So nine months in all?” replies the manager, showing signs of desperation. “Well, if you can, and I appreciate your understanding…”

In the Company Handbook, the Sheetz Response Policy states: “The timeframe for resolution of such issues should typically not exceed 90 days. In the event that a current employee develops a dental issue that would limit their ability to display a comfortable, full and complete smile, we cannot allow this situation to continue indefinitely.”

Counts explains on Facebook that she had no upper teeth when she started the job and plans for her lower teeth were already in place, but her insurance won’t pay for temporary dentures while her new teeth are formed

“Sheetz believes that an associate’s smile while interacting with customers and colleagues is critical to creating the sense of hospitality in our stores that we aspire to,” the company said.

Counts explains on Facebook that she had no upper teeth when she started the job and plans for her lower teeth were already in place, but her insurance won’t pay for temporary dentures while her new teeth are formed.

“I was hired that way,” Counts replies. “I feel like I’ll look for another job because if my job performance isn’t good enough and it’s partly based on my looks, it’s not a company I want to be associated with.

“This company has no idea what I went through. I lost my front teeth because my ex-husband hit my head for forgetting to turn off the hall light. So it’s not like I was a drug user and that’s how things happened. It was real,” she continues.

“But I feel like my work output alone should be enough. I don’t feel like I have to justify myself because of my looks. I am not a materialistic person. I’m very nice to the customers,” says Graf calmly.

Rose Marie Counts says she struggles at Sheetz because of her dental work, as company policy is to hire people with perfect teeth. She is shown here with her fiancé, Shawn Chapman

“And I’ve heard wonderful things about you,” replies her manager, trying to show empathy.

There is a brief pause before Counts makes the decision before the manager can officially fire her.

“Maybe that’s not the position I should be working in. I’ve always worked in healthcare and wanted something different. I loved it.

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” she says, her voice breaking.

Counts went into more detail about her conversation with her unnamed boss on Facebook.

Travis Sheetz, President and CEO of the Sheetz gas station/convenience store chain, who has stated that company policy will change

“Even though I do my job well, my smile means I can no longer work on the front lines of the company,” Counts explained online. “The company defines my smile as ugly because I still have to work on it. So today I went to work and left work today crying.

“To show by my appearance that my job is in jeopardy. And that maybe I should fill out some paperwork and maybe the company will help me if I tell them my story. I won’t spend a dime on Sheetz!!!

“In my opinion, this is one of the greatest forms of discrimination that there can be. Who are you to decide what beauty is? So I leave this job feeling like I’m not good enough again.”

Other former employees have also commented on the so-called “smile policy”.

“I hate this policy,” a former North Carolina employee told Insider. “It’s really disgusting and kind of neo-classical, especially when the majority of the people you hire are going to be low-income,” the former employee said.

After questioning insiders about the policy, things finally seem to be getting checked out.

“The investigation has prompted a more thorough review to ensure our policies are consistent with Sheetz’s commitment to fostering a culture of respect,” said Nick Ruffner, public relations manager at Sheetz.

A San Francisco medical professor has announced that he intends to wear a face mask to protect against COVID-19 in crowded spaces for the rest of his life, describing his decision as “reasonable steps to avoid infection.”

dr Bob Wachter, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), detailed the steps he took in a lengthy Twitter thread.

Wachter told his 275,000 followers that he is fully vaccinated and refreshed and has not had COVID – but is concerned about the potential of Long COVID.

“Some people keep asking what I’m doing, which is covid behavior…” he began.

“Answer: I change my behavior.

“In the Bay Area, I can now dine indoors and remove my mask for small group gatherings. I haven’t changed, the risk has changed.’

dr Bob Wachter is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Last week he updated his 275,000 followers on the COVID precautions he is currently taking

The number of COVID cases and deaths is declining — and Wachter noted that where he lived, in the Bay Area, they were particularly low

He said the risk of COVID in the region where he lives has fallen “significantly”.

The latest data shows there are currently fewer than 500 new cases per day, and the CDC rates the transmission rate as “low.”

Wachter pointed out that the low case rate is partly because fewer people are being tested, and there’s no precise way to know.

“Sewage is a great, unbiased measure of circulating viral trends in a population, but it doesn’t give you a really good answer to the question, ‘What is the likelihood that a person at my table in a restaurant has Covid and is contagious?'” he said.

But Wachter added that he intends to wear a face mask forever in a large crowded interior and on public transport.

He said his approach is flexible and based on common sense.

Wachter said he intends to continue wearing a face mask in crowded public places

The professor, with his dog Newman, said he would base his assessment on his own risk analysis

“I’m having dinner indoors with my wife and kids in SF tonight,” he said.

“But we’re seeing older friends in Palm Springs this weekend: we’ll eat al fresco and test before we arrive. Ditto when I visit my 87-year-old mom in FL next month (FL case rate is double CA’s and rising).

“Public transport, theatres, other large gatherings: plan on wearing a mask (always a KN95; why not wear a good mask if you want to mask yourself?), probably forever.

“I like to take it off briefly for a bite to eat on a long flight, but will try to leave it on when I can.”

He said he was comfortable with a group indoors knowing everyone was fully vaccinated.

As for his regular poker games with friends, he said, “I’ll make sure (until they kick me out) that the doors/windows stay open during the game. I do the same with other small gatherings in the house (e.g. friends in the house).’

Wachter said he would wear a face mask when browsing a busy supermarket; if he darted in and out of a bodega, he probably wouldn’t bother.

“As always, I’m not telling anyone what they SHOULD do,” he said.

“Perfectly sane people have looked at all these opportunities (or decided not to) and decided to live life like it’s 2019.

“Most of them will do just fine – they’re more likely to get Covid than I am, but few will get super ill (especially if they’re up to date) and most won’t get Long Covid (either prolonged symptoms or Being a victim of an increased long-term risk of stroke, heart attack or cognitive decline).

Wachter said he knew there was “joy in returning to ‘normal’.”

But he concluded: “I continue to be guided by current risk and will therefore continue to track case counts and other metrics.

“And if warranted, I’ll take my precautions even further.

“Just because we’re all fed up with it doesn’t change the risks and therefore the way I think about managing them.”