Hospitals require vaccines for workers

Jul. 23—TRIAD — The three major health systems in the greater High Point area will require all employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination or face losing their job.

Leaders of Wake Forest Baptist Health, which operates High Point Medical Center; Novant Health, which runs Thomasville Medical Center; and Cone Health, which has a medical facility off Eastchester Drive in north High Point, cite the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the virus as an impetus for their decision.

"I sincerely believe that this decision is absolutely the right thing to do for our patients and the communities we serve," Cone Health CEO Dr. Mary Jo Cagle said. "Vaccination is critically important in health care settings. It is one way that we ensure a safe environment for all members of our community."

Each health system is implementing its policy on a different time frame, but Wake Forest Baptist is allowing the most time.

Wake employees must either complete their COVID-19 vaccine shot series or have an approved medical or religious exemption by Oct. 31, said Senior Manager of Communications Joe McCloskey.

"Teammates who do not follow this policy will receive counseling for failing to receive required vaccinations," he said. "This could result in consequences up to and including end of employment."

A Wake Forest Baptist statement said the COVID-19 vaccination is no different "than our requirement for our teammates to get an annual flu shot, as well as be vaccinated for measles, chicken pox and other infectious diseases."

Wake Forest Baptist CEO Dr. Julie Freischlag said the health system wants to set an example for its peers.

"Wake Forest Baptist Health is proud to be among the first health systems in the state to take this bold step and to join the growing list of health care institutions across the country to require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19," Freischlag said.

Novant Health will require all "team members" to get vaccinated by Sept. 15. Medical and religious exemptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, said Megan Rivers, Novant Health's media relations director.

"If a Novant Health team member does not comply by the deadline, their access will be suspended until their vaccination status is fully compliant," Rivers told The High Point Enterprise. "If they remain non-compliant, it may lead to termination."

A Novant Health statement said the new policy "is essential to ensure the safety of our patients, team members and communities."

Cone Health will require COVID-19 vaccination for all employees, medical and dental staff, professional students and volunteers, but it will give employees a period of months after July 30 to complete vaccinations. Eventually, employees who aren't vaccinated face termination, communications specialist Patrick Wright said. He was not specific about how much time would be allowed.

A statement from Cone Health leaders explained the decision.

"This is rapidly becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated, as more than 97% of individuals who are being hospitalized for COVID-19 are unvaccinated," the statement said. "An astonishing 99.2% of COVID-19-related deaths are among people who have not been vaccinated, including four unvaccinated health care workers in North Carolina."

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul