GREENSBORO, N.C. -
Employees of Moses Cone Health Systems who haven't gotten the seasonal flu vaccine -- or a waiver for health or religious reasons -- will likely be out of a job next week.
The deadline for all employees was the end of October, and hospital administrators are now going through paperwork to figure out who hasn't been vaccinated. Those identified will likely be asked to resign over the next couple of days.
"What's so strange, this time around, it's 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds, 50-year-olds" who are refusing to be vaccinated, said Joan Wessman, the hospital's chief nursing officer.
"We feel very, very strongly that our first responsibility is to keep our patients safe," she said.
And Moses Cone is not alone.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center also required its employees to get both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. So far, nearly 60 percent have gotten the seasonal and just over 15 percent have gotten the H1N1 vaccine.
Baptist hospital employees have 30 days to get the vaccine after it becomes available. If they don't, the hospital assumes the employee doesn't want to work there anymore.
Forsyth Medical Center isn't requiring employees to get the vaccines, but roughly 90 percent of employees have had the seasonal vaccine.
High Point Regional requires only the seasonal vaccine and started administering it three weeks ago. Alamance Regional doesn't require either, but has given H1N1 vaccines to two-thirds of its employees and seasonal vaccines to just about all of them.
Rebecca Bowling, a nurse at Moses Cone, said she objects to mandated vaccinations.
"I'm an intelligent person. give me the information. Give me the choice, but don't tell me that I have to do it or I will lose my job," she said.
"There are other health requirements that are conditions for employment," countered Wessman. "We test our employees for tuberculosis every year. We have other vaccination requirements. This is not something that is terribly unusual in health care."
The deadline for all employees was the end of October, and hospital administrators are now going through paperwork to figure out who hasn't been vaccinated. Those identified will likely be asked to resign over the next couple of days.
"What's so strange, this time around, it's 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds, 50-year-olds" who are refusing to be vaccinated, said Joan Wessman, the hospital's chief nursing officer.
"We feel very, very strongly that our first responsibility is to keep our patients safe," she said.
And Moses Cone is not alone.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center also required its employees to get both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. So far, nearly 60 percent have gotten the seasonal and just over 15 percent have gotten the H1N1 vaccine.
Baptist hospital employees have 30 days to get the vaccine after it becomes available. If they don't, the hospital assumes the employee doesn't want to work there anymore.
Forsyth Medical Center isn't requiring employees to get the vaccines, but roughly 90 percent of employees have had the seasonal vaccine.
High Point Regional requires only the seasonal vaccine and started administering it three weeks ago. Alamance Regional doesn't require either, but has given H1N1 vaccines to two-thirds of its employees and seasonal vaccines to just about all of them.
Rebecca Bowling, a nurse at Moses Cone, said she objects to mandated vaccinations.
"I'm an intelligent person. give me the information. Give me the choice, but don't tell me that I have to do it or I will lose my job," she said.
"There are other health requirements that are conditions for employment," countered Wessman. "We test our employees for tuberculosis every year. We have other vaccination requirements. This is not something that is terribly unusual in health care."
