Over 300 Novant Health employees suspended for non-compliance with vaccination policy

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Hundreds of Novant Health employees have been suspended for non-compliance with the health system’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program, officials said.

Starting this week, approximately 375 Novant Health employees across 15 hospitals, 800 clinics, and hundreds of outpatient facilities have been confirmed to be non-compliant with the vaccination program and cannot report to work, a press release stated. Those employees will have the opportunity to comply over a five-day, unpaid suspension, health system officials said.

Those who are still non-compliant after the suspension period will be terminated from Novant Health, the release stated.

According to Novant Health, approximately 98.6% of the more than 35,000 Novant Health staffers are compliant with the mandatory vaccine program. Team members are considered compliant if they have received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or if they applied for, and were granted, a medical or religious exemption.

Employees who have started a two-dose vaccine series have until Oct. 15 to get their second dose and remain in compliance, a press release stated.

Novant Health team members who have been granted a medical or religious exemption are required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and wear N95 respirator masks or other appropriate PPE, and eye-wear protection while working on the health system’s premises, staff said.

The health care system announced the mandatory vaccination program earlier this summer.

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