[MCOH-EH] staff influenza vaccine waiver process

[Wendland, Douglas]

Hello Ross.

We use the same process for Influenza and COVID-19 exemption requests.

Requests for religious exemptions dominate.  They are handled by our HR department.  Director is an attorney.  State law (Minnesota) has clear and quite liberal definitions for "religious exemption". 
 
We have established criteria for medical exemptions based on contraindications and precautions for the individual vaccine.  The Medical Director of Occupational Health makes a determination on all requests for medical exemption based on the agreed criteria.  An appeal committee consists of 4 medical staff members and the Medical Staff CEO.  In the event of an appeal, the Medical Director of Occupational Health presents the issues to this committee but does not vote.

Once our employees realized how easy it was to get a religious exemption, requests for medical exemption have been quite rare.

Doug

Douglas M Wendland, MD, MPH
St. Luke's Occupational Medicine

-----Original Message-----
From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces+douglas.wendland=slhduluth.com at mylist.net> On Behalf Of Mullinax, Ross A LCDR USN NAVHOSP PORS VA (USA) via MCOH-EH
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2022 1:40 PM
To: mcoh-eh at mylist.net
Cc: Mullinax, Ross A LCDR USN NAVHOSP PORS VA (USA) <ross.a.mullinax.mil at mail.mil>
Subject: [MCOH-EH] staff influenza vaccine waiver process

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All,

I'm just starting in a new MCOH job.  We apparently have a panel committee of experts that decide on influenza waivers among staff.  The committee is mostly healthcare personnel but also the hospital chaplain, with myself (the occ health doc) as the chair of the committee.  It appears that historically the committee adjudicates requests for both medical and religious waivers from getting their annual flu shot.  That doesn't seem right to me at all.  There are many more religious requests than medical.  I am curious to know how this process works at other institutions for flu waivers, medical vs. religious.  Thank you!

Ross Mullinax  

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