Virginia AG Probes Mounting Religious Discrimination Cases After Hospital Revoked Covid Jab Exemptions

A group of just under 100 employees up for termination calculated their combined experience as 960 years — a significant amount of caregiver experience Inova Loudoun Hospital leadership was willing to fire based on rejected or revoked religious exemptions. 

Virginia Walker, a night-shift nurse in the Inova emergency department, was hired as a new night-shift nursing staff member in 2019. Walker was promoted to charge nursing and was awarded multiple awards for her commitment to providing life-saving medical care.

Rene Camp served as an Inova nursing nurse for fifteen years. As a physician assistant IT analyst, she also trained software developers. She was like Walker. “permanent” exemption from the Covid-19 vaccine was rescinded, and she was fired — while working in a remote position.

Beth McKinnon joined the Loudoun Hospital’s emergency department in 1998. 2019 was her first year as charge nurse. She managed flow between emergency medical service, trauma bay and the waiting room. McKinnon won nurse of the Year and preceptor award at Inova Loudoun 2021. One year later, her religious exemption was denied and McKinnon was fired for refusing to give the vaccine booster.

Jess Baker, an Inova ICU trauma tech, transferred to the ER in her new role as a nurse graduate. Soon after, her religious exemption was denied and she was fired.

Gina Smith was a scheduling coordinator for Inova patients eight years. Her permanent religious exemption from Covid-19 was revoked by leadership and she was required to reapply, or risk termination. Smith applied again, and was denied her exemption after waiting for nearly three months. Smith resigned while waiting for a termination notification.

Walker stated that the widespread firing of skilled health care workers is continuing to disrupt northern Virginia’s top health care system. Replacement staff are rarely comparable. “They fired our nurse of the year for not getting her booster,” Walker stated. “She was the most amazing asset we had [in the ER].”

[RELATED: In Wisconsin, Hospital Shortages Aren’t From Covid, They’re From Vaccine Mandates]

Some of those who were terminated worked entirely remotely. Others had worked as dedicated employees for more than a decade providing care. More people are filing complaints against the state’s attorney-general.

Discrimination ‘Pandemic’

Inova terminatees have filed so many discrimination complaints that they are now in the top 1%. Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares sent a letter On July 22, 2022 the president and chief executive of Inova Health System informed him that cases are currently being reviewed and could lead to civil action.

“My office has received information from numerous sources that INOVA Health Systems has denied multiple employee requests for religious and disability exemptions from Inova’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate,” Miyares wrote.

Miyares said that the denials appeared to be incorrect and that there was a breakdown of the interactive process. Also, it seemed like Miyares failed to accommodate reasonable requests, as required by law.

Del. Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun), addressed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office in a Letter

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