Following Biden’s vaccine order, Horry County hospitals signal requirement for employees
Millions of mandated vaccinations are coming to the U.S., including for employees at two Horry County hospitals, following President Joe Biden’s announcement of new COVID-19 measures Thursday.
Conway Medical Center “will follow all guidelines as set forth by government in regards to vaccine mandates for employees,” spokesperson Allyson Floyd told The Sun News. Grand Strand Medical Center’s parent company HCA Healthcare will review the policy and “respond accordingly,” spokesperson Katie Maclay told The Sun News, adding that the company has done the same in states with vaccine requirements.
Biden’s announcement marks the harshest stance he’s taken to get the pandemic under control since he took office in January. His order includes mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers at facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid, federal employees and contracted employees of the federal government. At businesses with more than 100 employees, workers will need to be vaccinated or face consistent testing.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster staunchly opposed Biden’s new order, saying he would fight Biden and the Democrats “to the gates of hell” after the new measures were announced.
As Horry County and the rest of the state face a staggering rise of cases and hospitalizations, doctors at CMC, Grand Strand Medical Center and other local facilities have pushed for a higher vaccination rate, as the majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients haven’t been vaccinated.
The majority of CMC’s employees have gotten the shot, though Floyd didn’t have the exact percentage readily available.
“Ever since December 14, 2020 when the first vaccine given in the state of South Carolina was to one of our physicians at CMC, we have strongly encouraged our employees to get vaccinated,” Floyd wrote in an email to The Sun News.
Tidelands Health, another hospital system in the area, announced a vaccination requirement for its employees in July, and one employee was terminated for refusing the shot this week. McLeod Health currently doesn’t have a vaccine mandate in place.
To find a site to get a free COVID-19 vaccine, visit https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
