The Attorney General of Virginia is investigating mounting cases of religious discrimination after Inova Loudoun Hospital revoked Covid-19 vaccine exemptions for its employees, according to a report from The Federalist.
This move led to the termination of just under 100 employees, whose combined experience amounted to 960 years of caregiving experience.
Among those fired were Virginia Walker, a charge nurse who received multiple awards for her dedication to life-saving care, and Rene Camp, a nurse with 15 years of experience in labor and delivery as a physician assistant IT analyst and software trainer.
Both had received permanent religious exemptions, which were later rescinded, leading to their dismissal, Federalist notes.
Similarly, Beth McKinnon, a charge nurse at the Loudoun hospital’s emergency room since 1998, who had been named nurse of the year and preceptor of the year at Inova Loudoun in 2021, was fired for refusing the vaccine booster after her religious exemption was denied.
Jess Baker, an Inova intensive care unit trauma tech, was also denied her religious exemption and subsequently fired.
Gina Smith, a surgical scheduler who had served Inova patients for eight years, had her permanent religious exemption rescinded, and was required to reapply for it.
After waiting nearly three months to learn that her exemption was denied, she resigned.
According to Walker, the termination of experienced healthcare workers has caused disruptions in northern Virginia’s leading healthcare system, with replacement staff rarely holding equivalent skills.
“They fired our nurse of the year for not getting her booster,” she said. “She was the most amazing asset we had [in the ER].”
Many of those terminated worked remotely, and some had been dedicated employees for more than a decade. As a result, an increasing number of employees are filing complaints with the state’s attorney general.
