Healthcare employers can improve patient outcomes by infusing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) into their hiring, retention, and training practices. Legal minimums require that employers cannot make employment decisions based on any protected category, including race, national origin, and sex. But beyond these requirements, healthcare organizations need to prioritize DEIA to mitigate negative patient
Background
In direct response to the significant challenges experienced by long term care (LTC) facilities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its commitment to improving safety and quality of care. During the March 1, 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting residents and staff of nursing homes. The Biden-Harris Administration has since taken steps to establish new minimum staffing ratios within nursing or skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), increase scrutiny of poorly performing nursing homes, and improve quality care transparency for customers seeking a SNF.
This month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) applicable to employers of 100 or more employees. The ETS requires employers to adopt a vaccine mandate obligating employees to either get vaccinated or to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.
Widespread COVID-19 vaccination is considered critical for many employers to return employees to work safely and resume normal business operations in the future. As such, many employers have been asking whether they can require, incentivize or encourage employees to get vaccinated, and what liabilities they may face if they choose any of these options.