NORFOLK, Va. — Hospital workers are feeling the pressure from health leaders in Hampton Roads to get fully vaccinated by October 18.
Newport News Riverside Health System President, Dr. Mike Dacey, says more than 80% of his employees are fully vaccinated. He says he feels confident about the upcoming deadline.
"We hope in the coming 10 days, it gets into the low 90s in terms of percentage, so we've seen a good increase over the course of the last few weeks among people who work at Riverside," said Dacey.
Overall, Dacey says Riverside's employees are working well with this mandate.
He says there are some religious and medical exemptions, but health leaders are hoping they don't have to take disciplinary action against those who refuse to get vaccinated.
"We don't think that's in the best interest of our patients, particularly given the current circumstances and our situation," said Dacey. "However, if you choose not to be vaccinated and you don't have a religious or medical exemption, it is a disciplinary action that goes on your record."
Dacey says it's a responsibility health care workers need to take seriously in order to help other people, saying, "At Riverside Health today, we have 106 people with COVID-19 in the hospital, many of them in the ICU. I think they really, more than any other group of people, have seen first-hand the serious effects of the virus."
Other hospital systems including Sentara, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare are all requiring individual employees to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the same date.
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters told 13News Now about 90% of its workers are fully vaccinated.
Chesapeake Regional Healthcare says it is also making progress, with about 80% of employees fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Sentara says about 74% of its employees are fully vaccinated. A Sentara spokesperson sent this statement to 13News Now:
"As of Sept. 27, 2021, 74% of Sentara employees had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75.4% were fully vaccinated. These numbers only account for team members who either received their vaccine(s) through Sentara Employee Health or have already submitted proof to Employee Health if they received their doses through a different provider.
Every team member is vital to Sentara’s mission and success and we remain committed to doing all we can to support our teams. The Oct. 18 deadline marks the point at which an employee who is not fully vaccinated (or who does not have an approved exemption) begins a progressive disciplinary process. Separation from employment with Sentara is the last step in that process and one we hope to avoid. We continue to provide education and support to team members to address any hesitance related to vaccination. We are also working with those who have filed for medical or religious exemptions."
A spokesperson for Bon Secours says the hospital is still working on getting employees vaccinated. The hospital's deadline for employees to get fully vaccinated is December 1.
All hospital systems say they are working on educating and speaking with workers who remain hesitant about the vaccine.