A protest over vaccine mandates was held outside CarolinaEast Medical Center Tuesday morning.
Dozens of protesters lined the street outside the hospital beginning at 7:30 a.m. in a show of support for those who chose not to get vaccinated.
One of the rally organizers, Jennifer Dacey, says, “We’re going to be out here to support folks as long as it takes because we don’t feel that anybody should be forced into getting any kind of medical procedure they don’t want, particularly our health care workers who have seen the impact of this first hand.”
The protest crowd includes some CarolinaEast staff, their families, members of the Craven County Republican Party and the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association.
Tuesday is the last day the employees can request an exemption from the hospital’s vaccine mandate. In a statement, the hospital said it has no choice but the require the vaccines for employees.
“The COVID-19 vaccination is now required for hospitals and health systems as a condition for receiving payment from government payers like Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare. CarolinaEast, like other hospitals and health systems, cannot continue to operate without receiving payment for services from government payers. Furthermore, CarolinaEast is committed to providing the COVID-19 vaccine within our organization to promote the safety and well-being of all of our patients and visitors as well as our personnel and their families. Under these circumstances, CarolinaEast must now have a COVID-19 immunization policy requiring that healthcare personnel who are employed, have privileges, or provide services for CarolinaEast receive the COVID-19 vaccine.”