Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS Extends Full Vaccine Deadline For Many Health Workers To March 15
CNN: Health Care Workers Face March 15 Vaccination Deadline After Supreme Court Ruling
Health care workers covered by the Biden administration's vaccine mandate will have until March 15 to be fully vaccinated in the 24 states where the requirement was reinstated by the Supreme Court, the agency implementing the policy said Friday. Twenty-five states and Washington, DC, continue to face a February 28 deadline for covered health care workers to be fully vaccinated, as the mandate had not been blocked in those states before the Supreme Court order that came down Thursday. (Sneed, 1/14)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Pushes Deadline For Vaccine Mandate In 24 States
Healthcare workers in the 24 states that are newly subject to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' COVID-19 vaccine mandate will need to get their first shot by Feb. 14 and final shot by March 15, according to new guidance released by CMS Friday. Facilities in the 24 states subject to the new guidance will also need to demonstrate that they've developed policies and procedures to make sure all facility staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 by Feb. 14. The guidance specifically applies to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. (Goldman, 1/14)
In other updates on vaccine mandates —
Cody Enterprise: Hospital Revises Vaccination Deadlines After Supreme Court Upholds Mandate
Cody Regional Health is revising its vaccine and exemption deadlines for employees after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the vaccine mandate affecting most health care workers to proceed. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court halted the federal vaccine mandate for employees at large businesses, but allowed one that effects nearly all health care workers. Both had been on hold in Wyoming. (Taylor, 1/17)
Akron Beacon Journal: COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates For Ohio Healthcare Workers
The Cleveland Clinic has set a deadline of Jan. 27 for its employees to comply with a federal mandate to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Crystal Clinic Orthopedic Center and University Hospitals also said they would be in compliance by the updated deadlines. (Lin-Fisher, 1/18)
WHYY: Philadelphia Extends Vaccine Mandate Deadline For City Workers
A vaccine mandate for city workers in Philadelphia originally set to start Friday has been extended to later in January because negotiations with the unions representing municipal employees are ongoing. In November, the city announced that all municipal employees and contractors, including union workers, would have to be vaccinated by Jan. 14. Officials had previously mandated vaccines for non-union workers only by Dec. 1.City employees now have until Jan. 24 to meet the vaccination mandate. (Read, 1/14)
Houston Chronicle: Local Companies Stick To Vaccination Policies After Supreme Court Decision
Local companies say they will maintain their vaccination policies despite last week’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for firms with more than 100 employees. The Houston software company Hewlett Packard Enterprises, for example, said vaccinations are still required for employees to enter offices, work at clients’ sites or travel for business. Those who decline to be vaccinated are required to work from home. (Carballo, 1/17)
Louisville Courier Journal: How COVID Omicron Variant Impacts Louisville Workers, Public Services
No yard waste collection. Fewer community outreach programs. Dozens of police officers, firefighters and bus drivers out sick. The more-contagious omicron variant — which has infected both the vaccinated and unvaccinated — is taking a huge toll on the municipal services Louisville's residents have come to rely on. Through the latest challenging spell of an exhausting pandemic, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has held off on requiring COVID-19 vaccination for Metro Government workers, telling The Courier Journal during a year-end interview in December he believed a vaccine mandate could worsen the staffing facing several city departments. (Kobin, 1/18)
