CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hundreds of people gathered at Freedom Park in Charlotte to make their voices heard against Atrium and Novant Health’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees.
Atrium and Novant made the announcement last week. Atrium said all employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 31. Novant’s employees must be vaccinated by Sept. 15.
The demonstrators made it clear that they believe Atrium and Novant are wrong for mandating that staff get vaccinated. Many who attended were the same anti-mask, anti-vaccine protesters Channel 9 has encountered in the past.
One of the reasons protesters were out on Sunday was because they believe this rule lays the groundwork for mandating vaccines across the country.
[ ALSO READ: Novant, Atrium, health departments requiring all employees to get COVID-19 vaccine ]
Jane Nymberg is an RN and has worked for Atrium for 25 years. She doesn’t want to leave, but she will if they force her to get the shot.
“I’m not going to be forced to take an experimental vaccine that potentially could injure me or kill me. The chances of that are low, but if it happens I will be responsible,” she said.
Atrium sent out an ER doctor to respond to protesters, but he could not say if those who don’t take the shot will be fired.
“When I look at this, I say we have taken an oath. We have made a commitment to protect patients and save lives. Vaccinations save lives and I hope that people come around and get vaccinated,” said Dr. Dave Calloway with Atrium.
Statement from Atrium Health on the protests:
“Atrium Health has a long history of protecting the health of our patients, our teammates and the communities we serve. With the new and more contagious variants now causing hospitalizations to rise across our region, we are requiring teammates to be vaccinated against the virus – to avoid catching or spreading it to others in our hospitals or other clinical environments.
“Most doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are drawn to their profession because they want to help and care for other people – specifically to help them get and stay well and live longer, healthier lives. The new COVID-19 vaccine requirement is designed to do exactly that, since the science shows that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and continue to save countless lives.
“We greatly value all of our teammates who have shown such dedication to our patients, their loved ones and to each other during the pandemic, and we respect the rights of those who have chosen to have their voices heard in a peaceful and civil manner. Open communication is something we embrace at Atrium Health. We encourage our teammates to share any concerns they may have directly with their leaders if they have questions about our vaccination requirement.”
(WATCH BELOW: Nurses, medical workers take stance against COVID-19 vaccine mandates)
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