HENDERSON â Maria Parham Health has yet to join the list of North Carolina hospitals that are requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, even though one of its corporate partners has taken that step. The Henderson hospital as of Monday afternoon was âstrongly encouraging our employees to get vaccinated, but not requiring it at this time,â said Donna Young, Maria Parhamâs coordinator of marketing and communications. Youngâs comments reiterated a statement hospital leaders issued Friday in response to a question from The Dispatch. âAt this time, Maria Parham Health is strongly encouraging and supporting all of our team members to become fully vaccinated,â it said. âThere is significant evidence that grows daily indicating that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Understanding that the situation changes daily, we are committed to carefully evaluating the research and the level of COVID-19 activity in our communities as we make this very important decision independent of approval from the [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration.