Atrium, Novant Health requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – Two of Charlotte’s largest healthcare systems now require all their employees to be fully immunized against COVID-19.

Atrium Health and Novant Health both say they will require their team members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and be fully immunized against the virus.

Atrium provided this statement to WBTV on Thursday.

“We have started communicating to all of our teammates (including teleworkers, physicians, resident physicians, faculty, fellows, interns, contractors, visiting students / students, medical staff, temporary workers and volunteer staff) that they must be fully immunized or have an approved medical or religious exemption, ”the statement said.

The hospital system says there is an urgent need for their team members to be fully immunized, as the new, more potent Delta variant continues to spread locally and statewide.

“We consider it essential that each of our teammates receive their vaccine to protect themselves, their families and the people in their care,” the Atrium Health press release continued.

The hospital system says new variants of COVID-19 are contributing to a 200% increase in hospitalizations – and, among their patients, 99% of people hospitalized in recent weeks are unvaccinated people.

“By making the vaccine mandatory for our teammates, Atrium Health, including Wake Forest Baptist Health and Atrium Health Navicent, and many other health systems in the region, are taking reasonable steps to ensure our teammates – many of whom stay on the front lines, interacting directly with people with COVID – are protected and available to care for community members as we face the next phases of the pandemic, ”the Atrium statement read.

The hospital system says this shouldn’t be viewed any differently from their requirement for employees to be vaccinated against the flu every year, as well as to be vaccinated against measles, chickenpox and other infectious diseases.

Novant also provided a statement to WBTV on Thursday on their vaccine needs.

“We are proud to be among the first to implement this program alongside other health systems in the region who agree that a mandatory vaccination program is in the best public health interest and a necessary step to ensuring the safety of our patients, team members and communities, ”said the Novant Health press release.

Novant Health says employees will have until September 15 to complete the vaccination process. Those in need of a medical or denominational exemption must submit an exemption request by August 26.

“We are passionate about health equity and know that immunizing all of our team members, in addition to providing access to COVID-19 vaccines to people in historically marginalized communities, will help us end the pandemic for all, ”the statement continued.

An Atrium Health employee who wished to remain anonymous told WBTV that she believed the vaccine was still too new and was not yet comfortable getting it. She believes employees should have a choice and not be forced to get the vaccine if they don’t want to.

“If you want to get the shot it’s a personal decision but don’t make it, you shouldn’t force anyone to choose between an injection and a job. It’s not fair, ”the person said.

Another Atrium Health employee who wished to remain anonymous said that as a pregnant and breastfeeding mother she was not yet comfortable getting the vaccine either.

“As a breastfeeding mother, this mandate concerns me,” she said. “The safety of all current COVID-19 vaccines in breastfeeding people, the effects of vaccination on a breastfed baby, and the effects on milk production or excretion have not been studied. Neither I nor my colleagues should be forced to participate in a clinical trial without our explicit informed consent, which gives us the right to choose.

For Cat Williams, a patient, she says healthcare workers visit her every day and that she is worried.

She is immunocompromised with cystic fibrosis and just received a double lung transplant last December.

“They don’t require nurses to be vaccinated and they won’t tell you their status, so here I isolate myself doing all the right things and even at home I’m not immune to it. potential entry of COVID into my home, ”says Williams.

She says the warrants announced Thursday gave her comfort, just knowing there is that extra vaccination precaution.

“It’s two things – first, it’s a matter of workplace safety for themselves so they can go to work and be safe. It’s also for patient safety because, like you said, they’re dealing with the most vulnerable people, ”said Williams.

Copyright 2021 WBTV. All rights reserved.