West Columbia business becomes one of first in SC to mandate COVID vaccine for workers
Nephron Pharmaceuticals, a West Columbia maker of respiratory medications, will require all of its workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the company announced Monday.
Nephron, one of the largest businesses in South Carolina to mandate employee vaccinations, will require its employees to have at least one dose of a two-dose vaccine series by the end of next week and for all employees to be fully vaccinated by the end of September, CEO Lou Kennedy said.
All new hires must provide proof of vaccination before their first day of work.
“We take seriously the role we play in protecting the health and safety of the Nephron family — as we have every single day during this pandemic — and today is a milestone step in continuing that unwavering commitment,” Kennedy said in an email to staff provided by the company. “In the midst of the COVID-19 surge, it is more critical than ever that our team stays healthy, so we can keep patients healthy.”
In making the decision, Nephron, which employs about 2,000 full-time and part-time employees, cited the rising COVID-19 case count and its desire to be a leader in the state.
Kennedy told reporters Monday that a sobering conversation with a local hospital CEO about the strain that unvaccinated coronavirus patients are placing on the health care system convinced her to make the decision.
“As a company that employs frontline workers, we just need to be mindful of how important it is to be vaccinated and safe, so that we can take care of the patients and hospitals,” she said. “That’s our goal.”
Kennedy, a major Republican donor who appeared with Gov. Henry McMaster last month to announce the launch of a Nephron offshoot, said the governor was understanding when she told him of her plans.
She said McMaster, a strident opponent of mask and vaccine mandates, told her it was her right as a private business owner to do what she thought was right for her company.
Kennedy, who had her own vaccination card laminated and said she’s as proud of it as her driver’s license, hopes other companies in South Carolina follow her lead and require their workers to roll up their sleeves.
She stopped short, however, of saying that other businesses should mandate employee vaccinations.
“It is my job to take care of our family and our family alone,” Kennedy said. “But I do hope, I do very much hope that other business owners will make this same decision so that we can get closer to that goal of complete vaccination.”
While some Nephron employees may push back against the policy or even resign in protest of it, Kennedy said she’s confident the vaccine requirement will withstand any potential legal challenge.
“We have the legal right to impose whatever workplace policies, just like we wear personal protective gear to keep ourselves safe,” she said. “This is just another requirement to keep us safe and healthy.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said private businesses, with some exceptions, can legally require their workers to get COVID-19 shots, but relatively few in South Carolina have instituted mandates so far.
Workers with religious or medical reasons for declining vaccination may seek exemptions from Nephron’s policy, Kennedy said, but employees who have not been inoculated or submitted requests for accommodation by next Friday will face termination.
“I’ll be very sad if we lose even the first person,” she said. “I hate that, but we’ve got to do what is right to keep us healthy, so we can keep others healthy.”
In addition to staff, all visitors, vendors and guests also must be vaccinated to enter the Nephron property going forward, the company said.
Nephron, which relocated to South Carolina in 2011 and has since invested more than $500 million in the region, announced last month it would start making medical-grade nitrile gloves to expand the nation’s personal protective equipment supply.
Nephron’s nitrile glove company, Nephron Nitrile, is expected to create 250 jobs by early 2022.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 9:12 AM.