Emory Healthcare swaps Christmas Eve for Juneteenth on holiday schedule.
Change will ensure ‘equitable outcomes for all,’ hospital CEO says
Revelers gather to celebrate Juneteenth at Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
The largest hospital system in Georgia, Emory Healthcare, has made a significant change to its paid holiday calendar. Christmas Eve has been removed, and Juneteenth has been added. This means that employees will now need to use their paid time off to celebrate the December holiday.
Announced on August 31, the change also allows employees to earn extra holiday pay for working on Juneteenth, but not on Christmas Eve.
“We hope this will allow more opportunities for celebration, reflection, and education,” emphasized Emory Healthcare CEO Joon Sup Lee in an email to employees. “[D]iversity, equity, and inclusion at Emory Healthcare (EHC) is about creating an environment of true belonging for our patients and team members, while ensuring equitable outcomes for all.”
The decision to make this change came after Emory Healthcare sought feedback on its holiday schedule. The email mentions that patients cannot schedule clinical appointments on paid holidays, which led to a situation where adding one holiday meant removing another.
“To minimize the impact on patient care,” Lee explained, “we will not be adding another paid holiday to our calendars. Instead, starting January 2024, we will replace Christmas Eve with Juneteenth.”
However, not everyone is pleased with the new schedule. Hospital employees expressed concerns to Atlanta News First that this change could create division between Christians and African Americans. Edwina Clanton, the president of the NAACP chapter in Emory’s county, even warned of potential anti-black backlash.
“I’m sure it will put anger in some hearts,” she said. “Why do we have to do this?”
Furthermore, the new schedule could result in staffing shortages during one of the deadliest times of the year. Since 2021, Juneteenth weekends have been marred by mass shootings and other forms of gun violence, including incidents at holiday celebrations across the country. In Chicago alone, 13 people were killed by gunfire over the three-day weekend this year.
As of now, Lee has not responded to requests for comment.
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