Lawsuit filed after hospital fires employees for not receiving flu vaccine

ASHEVILLE, NC (AP) — A complaint filed by a federal agency is accusing Mission Hospital of religious discrimination and violating federal law for firing three workers who refused to adhere to the hospital’s flu vaccine requirement and declined the shot.

Local media outlets report the lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was filed in U.S. District Court in Asheville.

According to the complaint, hospital officials denied religious-exemption requests from three employees asking that they be released from Mission’s annual flu-vaccine requirement and fired them when they refused the vaccine. The lawsuit said Mission’s human resources department rejected the exemption requests because the workers missed a Sept. 1 deadline to submit their requests.

A Mission spokeswoman said the hospital’s policy exists to protect patients and help doctors deliver care.