Mandatory COVID 19 Vaccine

Policy:

The health and safety of those we support, our employees and their families is our top priority. Due to the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that the Delta variant is extremely contagious, we have a responsibility—to each other and to those we support—to follow recommended health care practices.

Because of the nature of our work, we also must comply with the California Public Health Order issued September 28, 2021 which requires vaccination in direct-care settings.

To summarize the Public Health Order “requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in adult and senior care facilities and those employed in in-home direct care settings” including:

All adult and senior care facilities, certain persons who provide In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS),
Certified home care aides,
Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) providers,
Hospice workers who provide services in the home or a licensed facility,
All employees, as well as service provider workers, who provide services through the state's regional centers that serve individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

On December 22, 2021 there was a new public health order (PHO) issued by the California Department of Public Health mandating COVID-19 booster shots. Regional Centers Statewide have received notification from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) now mandating the COVID-19 Vaccinations and a booster shot for all Regional Center service providers, no later than March 1, 2022.

As outlined in the PHO, Mains’l will make reasonable accommodations for employees who are unable to be vaccinated because of a disability, or sincerely held religious belief. Employees will need to follow the exemption process outlined in the procedure below.

If an employee qualifies for a medical or religious exemption, they must:

Be tested for COVID-19 once per week with either PCR or antigen test that either has Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or be operating per the Laboratory Developed Test requirements by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Wear a surgical mask or higher-level respirator approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), such as an N95 filtering face piece respirator, at all times while at work.

Procedure:

All employees will need to show proof of vaccination upon hire or qualify for an exemption.

Vaccination Exemption procedure:

To be eligible for a Qualified Medical Reasons exemption, the worker must provide to their employer or employer-recipient:

A written statement on official letterhead,
Signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or other licensed medical professional practicing under the license of a physician,
Stating that the individual qualifies for the exemption (but the statement should not describe the underlying medical condition or disability),
Indicating the probable duration of the worker’s inability to receive the vaccine (or if the duration is unknown or permanent, so indicate).

To be eligible for a Religious Exemption, the employee must have a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance which prevents them from receiving the vaccine and must provide to their employer or employer-recipient:

A written statement on official letterhead,
Signed by their faith’s priest, minister, chaplain, rabbi, or other official (including contact information),
Explaining the specific faith-based teachings that oppose immunizations.

All exemption requests will be reviewed by the COVID Response Team and stored in the employee file.

All employees with an exemption are required to test weekly, and report each weekly test result to Mains’l. The employee is responsible to upload test results into the confidential employee file by the due date. If a weekly test is missed due to absence or time off the employee will have 72 hours from the original test day to be tested. If the employee fails to test within the timeline, they will be placed on unpaid leave pending negative test results.