Springfield Hospital has adopted policy to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued regulations issued on November 4, 2021, requiring COVID-19 vaccination of all eligible staff   at healthcare facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid program.

New employees are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing primary vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine. The completion of a primary vaccination is the administration of a single dose vaccine (e.g., Janssen/Johnson and Johnson) or the administration of all the doses required of a multi-dose vaccine (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna).  Other acceptable vaccinations recognized by WHO are acceptable.

New employees who fail to abide by this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

New employees may request an exception from this mandatory vaccination policy as a reasonable accommodation, based on a disability, medical condition, or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance, in accordance with applicable law. 

New employees exempted from mandatory COVID-19 vaccination shall comply with identified processes for additional precautions identified by Springfield Hospital intended to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.  Additional precautions may include, but are not limited to:

·        Selected patient assignment

·        Wearing of specific PPE

·        COVID-19 testing 

Vaccination Status and Acceptable Forms of Proof of Vaccination

All vaccinated new employees are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of where they received vaccination. Proof of vaccination status will be submitted through the onboarding process.

Acceptable proof of vaccination status is:

1.      The record of immunization from a healthcare provider or pharmacy.

2.      A copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card;

3.      A copy of medical records documenting the vaccination;

4.   A copy of immunization records from a public health, state, or tribal immunization information system;

5.      A copy of any other official documentation that contains the type of vaccine administered, date(s) of administration, and the name of the healthcare professional(s) or clinic site(s) administering the vaccine(s).

Infection Control shall maintain the documentation on staff vaccination status, including booster vaccines in a confidential file.

Confidentiality and Privacy:

All medical information collected from individuals, including vaccination information, test results, and any other information obtained because of testing, will be treated in accordance with applicable laws and policies on confidentiality and privacy.

Reference:

U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). (November 5, 2021). Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination. https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-23831.pdf