The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati announced last Friday it would reinstate the OSHA COVID-19 vaccine regulation. This is one of three parts to the Biden Administrations COVID-19 vaccine regulations, and applies to companies with 100 or more employees.
What does this mean for caregivers? The enforcement of Intermountain’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement is still temporarily paused until we have clearer direction from the courts. Even with this most recent court ruling, legal uncertainties remain as more court cases are pending. Intermountain is obliged to follow regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and federal contractor regulations, which have stricter requirements for healthcare organizations. These regulations were stayed by the courts a few weeks ago, and no action has been taken yet. Intermountain leaders will let you know as soon as more direction is available from these court cases, and how they will impact us.
Even though enforcement of the requirement is paused—meaning no suspensions or corrective action for those who aren’t vaccinated or who don’t have an approved exemption on file—caregivers are still asked to get vaccinated and submit proof of vaccination or apply for an exemption to help Intermountain be prepared in case federal regulations are reinstated.
Here’s how to be ready in case the vaccine requirement enforcement is reinstated:
- Apply for a medical or religious exemption as soon as possible, if needed.
- Get the vaccine either at a caregiver COVID-19 vaccine clinic or make an appointment at vaccines.gov.
- If you’re already vaccinated and haven’t shared your status with Intermountain yet, submit consent and upload documentation if needed.
The COVID-19 vaccine requirement webpage has all of the information that you need. If you have additional questions, please speak with your manager or contact Ask HR at 801-442-7547 or askhr@imail.org.