Hundreds protest hospital’s vaccine mandate

NEW BERN –  The polite, well-behaved group braved a cold, blustery morning on Tuesday,  almost all waving signs chastising Carolina East Medical Center for knuckling under to a federal mandate, despite the controversial decree now being stymied in a federal appeals court. 

Protesters gathered on both sides of the road right-of-way, receiving many honks of support from passing motorists. 

Healthcare workers recently received notices that vaccinations are no longer optional. Now the official hospital policy is simply – GET THE SHOT. Those employees who refuse, must either resign or they will be abruptly fired. 

According to insiders interviewed by this newspaper, this edict did not come before the hospital’s board of directors. Instead, it was a staff decision, presumably issued from the Executive Director’s office.  

Sources report that employees who resign will be paid for leave they have not yet taken. Employees who stand their ground, opting instead for the dreaded pink slip, will forfeit any chance of paid leave. 

One protester, Rick Hopkins, Chairman of the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association, called the hospital’s proclamation “an outrageous suppression of personal freedom.”

Jeff Aydelette

Publisher/Editor

jeff@compassnews360.com