[MCOH-EH] staff influenza vaccine waiver process

[Cloeren, Marianne]

Hi, Ross!

I can’t speak for the hospital side, but on the university side, flu vaccine is not mandated. But COVID-19 vaccine has been mandated, and we segregated the review for medical and religious reasons. I reviewed the medical exemption requests for employees while Student Health reviews them for students. The religious exemptions are handled by HR and Student Affairs teams.

Marianne 


Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH
Associate Professor 
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
mcloeren at som.umaryland.edu
Office 410-328-2637
Cell 443-466-0033

> On Aug 31, 2022, at 5:27 PM, Mullinax, Ross A LCDR USN NAVHOSP PORS VA (USA) via MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh at mylist.net> wrote:
> 
> 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  
>