CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Six North Carolina health systems announced on Thursday that they will be among the first in the state to require their employees to get vaccinated for COVID.
Atrium Health, Cone Health,Β Duke University Health System, Novant Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health and the following UNCΒ Health hospitals β UNC Medical Center, UNC Rex, UNC Johnston, UNC Chatham, UNC Rockingham andΒ UNC Southeastern – are among the six committing to this requirement.
Their joint announcement comes after the North Carolina Healthcare Association released a statement to say they support COVID-19 requirements for all healthcare employees.
Health officials say exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for specific religious and medical reasons.
Read the full statement from the NCHA below.
βNorth Carolinaβs hospitals and health systems exist to improve and protect the health of ourΒ communities, which is why they place patient, visitor and team member health and safety at the heart ofΒ the care they provide. In keeping with that goal, the North Carolina Healthcare Association stronglyΒ supports hospital and health system policies that require all hospital employees and clinical teamΒ members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. NCHA recognizes that each hospital and health system isΒ unique and encourages each to determine the appropriate time to implement a requirement. All hospitalsΒ should continue to require other infection control measures per Centers for Disease Control andΒ Prevention guidance, such as wearing masks and other personal protective gear.
Our stateβs health systems and hospitals have seen first-hand how debilitating and deadly this diseaseΒ can be. When the COVID-19 vaccines were first released, the NCHA and its members strongly
encouraged all North Carolinians, including hospital and health system employees, to get vaccinatedΒ against COVID-19. In the months since, clinical data has shown the COVID-19 vaccines to be
extraordinarily safe and effective, and our best tool to prevent the spread of the disease.ΒThe evidence is clear β vaccination against COVID-19 has prevented people from becoming seriously ill,Β requiring hospitalization, or dying from the virus, as well as spreading it to others. To date, more thanΒ 4.7 million North Carolinians and more than 161 million Americans have been vaccinated with minimalΒ side effects. Most concerning, however, is the North Carolina Department of Health and Human ServicesΒ reporting that nearly 99% of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths during May and June wereΒ among people not fully vaccinated. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasΒ reported a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases as the delta variant becomes increasingly pervasive.
Protecting patients, visitors and healthcare personnel from COVID-19 continues to be of paramountΒ importance. Hospital and health system employee vaccination against COVID-19 is vital to safely care forΒ patients by protecting them from infection, and to mitigate the spread of the virus within healthcareΒ facilities and among clinicians, patients and their families and friends.β
