Nearly all 10,000 employees at state-operated healthcare facilities in North Carolina are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and compliant with a mandatory vaccination requirement, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The department’s Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DSOHF), a state-operated healthcare system comprised of 14 facilities, moved to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in July.
Sixteen individuals were dismissed for non-compliance with the policy’s vaccination deadline of September 30, the department said. Approximately 6% of DSOHF employees received exemptions from the policy with medical, religious, and other reasons consistent with implementation of Equal Employment Opportunity standards under the American with Disabilities Act.
At the end of June, DSOHF had voluntary COVID-19 vaccination rates higher than 75% for its 10,000 employees. .
"Our system is a safety-net in every sense of the term," said Carrie Brown, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health and Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities for NCDHHS. "We care for patients and residents with some of the most complicated combinations of physical and behavioral health conditions, including those affected by social determinants of health, such as lack of health insurance. "
