Under the long-standing rule, health care workers are defined as including any individual employed by a hospital, multi-level health care facility, home health agency, nursing facility, residential care facility, and intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities that is licensed by the State of Maine. It remains the single most effective way to keep our patients and caregivers safe which is our number one priority. Create one. The health care worker vaccination requirement has the support of a broad coalition of health care providers across Maine, including Maine Hospital Association, Maine Medical Association, Maine Primary Care Association, and Maine Health Care Association, along with the states two largest health systems, MaineHealth and Northern Light Health. AUGUSTA Maine is joining the growing list of states requiring all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant drives Mills Administration Provides More Time for Health Care Workers to Meet COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement, Maine Department of Health and Human Services is distributing $146 million to long-term care facilities and hospitals to help with workforce recruitment and retention. Gov. Hundreds of Maine health care workers leave jobs over vaccine mandate, but most stay, Stat of the Day: 97 percent. Governor Mills decision to require vaccination of health care workers is another example of close alignment between the government and the health care community, Tim Dentry, president and CEO of Northern Light Health, said in a statement. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The National Law Review - National Law Forum LLC 3 Grant Square #141 Hinsdale, IL 60521 Telephone (708) 357-3317 ortollfree(877)357-3317. If you would ike to contact us via email please click here. As of October 1, all health care workers in Maine must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 under a new rule announced Thursday by Gov. We hope this extra time will allow our unvaccinated colleagues to get the information they need to make an informed choice on behalf of themselves, their colleagues, our patients and our communities.. The requirement applies to health care workers at hospitals, home health agencies, nursing and residential care facilities, as well as EMS providers and dental practices. The state will enforce it as a condition of the facilities licensure. This existing rule has been amended to include the COVID-19 vaccine. Goodwin said that last week, when 65 of 350 workers were unvaccinated, he was getting ready to tell families of 8-10 residents that they would lose placements in group homes. Thats pretty good progress but we can and must do better, Mills said, adding that it is simply imperative that they take every precaution they can against this dangerous virus.. The EU and the UK Enter into a Memorandum of Understanding on Regulatory Banking Agencies Finalize Interagency Policy Statement on CRE Loan Workouts. The states largest health care providers, MaineHealth and Northern Light Health, have previously announced vaccine mandates for their employees. Johnson &Johnson used a different cell line in some of the production phases of its vaccine. Maine continues to have among the highest general vaccination rates in the country. The Mills Administration announced yesterday that it is distributing $146 million in State and Federal funding to Maine nursing facilities, certain residential care facilities, adult family care homes, and hospitals to support workforce recruitment and retention efforts as they grapple with workforce shortages resulting primarily from exposure to the COVID-19 virus and longstanding labor shortages. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. That is the same policy for the six other vaccinations already required for health care workers in the state. With this requirement, we are protecting our health care workers, we are protecting their patients, including our most vulnerable people, and we are protecting our health care capacity, Mills said in a virtual news conference. Maines hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities and other health providers are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, Lambrew said. No attorney-client or confidential relationship is formed by the transmission of information between you and the National Law Review website or any of the law firms, attorneys or other professionals or organizations who include content on the National Law Review website.If you require legal or professional advice, kindly contact an attorney or other suitable professional advisor. Nurses are also on board with the requirement but have asked for religious exemptions. Maine mandates health care workers get COVID shots within next 5 Published August 3, 2021 at 3:13 PM EDT. To add those exemptions (for COVID-19) would be a change and not a change that we wanted to make, given how important keeping our health care workforce safe is as well as keeping hospitals safe for patients, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC. It applies to employees who regularly interact with patients or whose duties could put workers in contact with patients. Percentage of population: 61.27%. Meanwhile, cases and hospitalizations are rising in Maine. Maine is now administering about 7,600 shots per day. Mills Administration Provides More Time for Health Care Workers to Some facilities are also grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks. Bret Cohen chairs the Labor and Employment Practice. About 25 percent of those are boosters, while 75 percent are primary series., hospital systems such as MaineHealth and Northern Light Health, About 1,500 patients waiting for elective surgeries in Portland as COVID cases strain hospitals, Augusta-based MaineGeneral loses 191 employees, about 4% of workforce, over COVID vaccine mandate, Maine reports 862 new cases of COVID-19 over a three-day period, Fishermen catch great white shark off Cape Elizabeth, Fight with stranger led to teens shooting in Naples on July Fourth, mother says, Thursdays solar storm is expected to make Northern Lights visible in 17 states, including Maine, Norway man charged with murder in wifes death. The Maine CDC says the testing and retesting of healthcare workers could be reduced if more of them would get vaccinated. MaineHealth and Northern Light said they will allow religious and medical exemptions. After hospital outbreaks, Mills seriously considering vaccination Janet Mills. Janet Mills announced Thursday that all hospital and nursing home staff, as well as dentists, EMS personnel and other health care workers, will be required to receive their final vaccine dose by Sept. 17. You will receive an email to complete the registration. But he acknowledges that some health care workers who oppose the vaccine may choose to quit. We know for some of our care team, the choice to get vaccinated has been difficult. Officials said Wednesday those cases do not appear to be linked. "It really just keeps the playing field level," Westhoff says. Maine continues to make nation-leading progress with its vaccination effort. The Maine State Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee said in a statement to NEWS CENTER Maine ahead of the announcement that they agree vaccination is "a critically important part of a comprehensive public health program for infection control. The National AI Commission Act AI: The Washington Report, UK ICO Encourages Use of Privacy Enhancing Technologies, A Welcome Delay in CCPA Regulations Enforcement, Employment Tip of the Month July 2023. The emergency rule also requires those employed by emergency medical service organizations or dental practices to be vaccinated for COVID-19. But leaders of some of those private organizations, as well as the groups that represent them in the hallways of the State House, praised the statewide mandate. It will begin enforcement of that rule on October 29, 2021, rather than October 1st, providing additional time for health workers to become fully vaccinated and for health care organizations to use significant forthcoming financial support to maintain their capacity to care for patients and residents. The state requirement was challenged by health care workers who opposed the Covid-19 vaccination mandate on religious grounds. Just go to your local coffee shop, and you will see signs in the window saying Closed, we need more workers.'. Segments of Maines health care industry were already moving in that direction. Goodwin said that helps stretch out workers to cover more hours at homes that are staffed 24/7. We thank those who have already taken this critical step for themselves, their patients and their communities, but with the arrival of the Delta variant in Maine, it is more important than ever to protect these workers through vaccination., Scientific data show that vaccination is our best protection against all strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, Shah said. Formore than 25 years, he has represented management in workplacelaw. (SOT MILLS) "WITH THIS REQUIREME, NT WEE 'RPROTECTING HEALTH CARE WORKERS. The emergency rule also requires those employed by emergency medical service organizations or dental practices to be vaccinated for COVID-19. As of Thursday, the seven day average for new daily COVID cases is 163, the highest it's been since May. Health care workers will have until Oct. 1 to be fully 21-1826 (1st Cir. AUGUSTA, Maine The administration of Gov. Ten Minute Interview: Ways to Plan for the Next Generations Made in the USA-ish: FTC Charges Clothing Accessories Companies for International Entrepreneur Parole Series Part 2: Document Requirements, The FTC Sets Its Sights on Biometric Information, Regulation of Digital Health Products by FDA. But this latest spike in cases is causing concern because roughly 39 percent of the states population of 1.3 million remains unvaccinated. Copyright 2023 Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, National Law Review, Volume XI, Number 300, Public Services, Infrastructure, Transportation, FFF Sovereign Immunity Series Part XII, FCA Announces That USD LIBOR Is Not Representative. Health care workers in Maine Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. Create one. The Maine State Nurses Association, a localunion, doesn't take a position ona mandate specifically, but says in a statement it believes all eligible people should be vaccinated. The Maine CDC also reported two additional deaths Thursday, increasing the total number of COVID-related deaths in the state to 903 since March 2020. Vaccination rates vary widely among staff at Maines health care facilities, according to mandatory reports to the state. Attorney Advertising Notice: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. In managing the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine faces two issues that factor seriously into its risk profile: the largest population of elderly citizens by the percentage of any state in the country and a limited health care workforce. When 19 of 33 outbreaks of COVID in the state are tied to infected healthcare workers who are not vaccinated, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah says the risk is obvious. Andrew Soucier, spokesman for Northern Light Health, the parent company of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Mercy Hospital in Portland, said 195 health care workers resigned, and the system had 98.11 percent compliance before the mandate kicked in. Janet Mills on Thursday announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the states health care workers. Steven Littleson, the president and CEO of Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston, said in a statement that 156 workers, representing roughly 5 percent of the systems 3,000 affected workers, were fired or resigned because of the mandate. Janet Mills over the states COVID-19 vaccine mandate, arguing it was their religious right to refuse the shots, were revealed Monday. Enter your email and password to access comments. Supreme Court Takes Up Constitutional Challenge to Section 965 $228M Damages Award Vacated In Illinois Biometric Privacy Class Action. The court ruled against health care workers who opposed the mandate on religious grounds. You will receive an email to complete the registration. Janet Mills on Thursday announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the states health care workers. Maine's order applies to health workers in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. (The association) agrees that vaccination is a critically important part of a comprehensive public health program for infection control, read a statement from the Maine State Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee. Little-Known Drone Radio Compliance Requirement Subject of FCC Rhode Island Data Breach Law Amended with Significant Changes, Ontario Corporations: Transparency Requirements. When Gov. European Commission Proposes Regulation on the Harmonization of Rules Hunton Andrews Kurths Privacy and Cybersecurity, SCOTUS Update: Administrative Law Takeaways from Biden v. Nebraska. As the mandate by Gov. Health care workers must be fully vaccinated by October 1, 2021. Congress Clarifies Catch-Up Contributions Are Earthjustice Files Notice of Intent to Sue EPA for Missing TSCA Risk B&C Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Practice Group Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. All for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs. Janet Mills announced Thursday afternoon in a press conference that the state will require health care workers to be fully vaccinated Supreme Court Issues Opinions on Religious Accommodation and DSAs: Calculating Security and the Role of Expert Determination. Northern Light is giving employees two weeks to get vaccinated from when FDA gives the vaccines full approval. The mandate would require health care workers to be It looks like you do not have any active subscriptions. Maine considers ending vaccine mandate for health care workers "Science shows that a multiple-measures approach to infection control is the most effective, and vaccination is just one, albeit critical, component. This existing rule has been amended to include the COVID-19 vaccine. "You and your family have a right to expect that everybody who cares for you in that institution, in that facility is fully vaccinated, not only against mumps and measles and influenza and chickenpox, but against this deadly, deadly virus," said Gov. Governor Mills announced earlier this month that 80 percent of eligible people in Maine have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, achieving another milestone for the state as it continues to confront an increase in cases associated with the Delta variant. 1:21-cv-1009, 21 WL 4734404 (N.D.N.Y. Log in to join the discussion. SURGERY CENTERS. Mr.. He has also represented individual employees, typically high level executives, in such matters on behalf of the companies who seek to hire them. Home But 16 workers unexpectedly got their shots last week, and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services permitted John F. Murphy Homes to allow some group homes to have workers sleep at the homes overnight. Stat of the Day: 97 percent. We're protecting their patients, including our most vulnerable people, and we're protecting our health care capacity," Mills said. SECURE 2.0 Act and the Future of the Employee Plans Compliance Will Environmental Justice Programs Be Affected by SCOTUSs Are HMRC Critical To UK Restructuring Plans? Deadlines Pressure Workers to Get the Shot. I think all humans, patients or otherwise, should be allowed to freely make their own medical decisions without coercion.. Hospitalizations typically lag case increases by two to three weeks. It said falling inoculation rates were causing communicable diseases to spread more rapidly. Example video title will go here for this video. The mandates medical exemption furthers Maines interest in protecting the health of its most vulnerable residents, the court determined, whereas a religious exemption would defeat that purpose. Hundreds of Mainers opposed to the states new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers protested Saturday outside Maine Medical Center in Portland. WE'RE PROTECTING THEIR PATIENTS, INCLUDING OUR MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE, AND WE'RE PROTECTING OUR HEALTH CARE CAPACITY." Requiring our HHS health care workforce to get vaccinated will protect our federal workers, as well as the patients and people they serve, Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Thursday. ", The Maine State Nurses Association has released the following statement regarding employers and health officials announcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers: pic.twitter.com/5Ob6cAcsGW, "We strongly believe all eligible people should be vaccinated, while respecting the need for medical and religious accommodations," MSNA/NNOC said. Member Benefits: Maine PBS Passport, MemberCard & More. Already have a commenting profile? The Recovering Executive Compensation from Unaccountable Practices (RECOUP) Act Just Catching Up? On Monday, 212 people were hospitalized for COVID-19, including 76 in intensive care and 41 on ventilators. Health care workers, supporters protest vaccine mandate The Mills administration said Tuesday that it is seriously considering a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Maine health care workers, making the Login. Gov. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Janet Mills on Thursday announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the states health care workers. Angela Westhoff, president and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, said that five nursing homes and one assisted-living facility have had to close since the mandate was announced in August, and she anticipates 5-10 percent of the workforce will leave rather than comply with the mandate. As the Delta variant emerged, the state deemed the number of outbreaks occurring in health care facilities unacceptable. The choice of a lawyer or other professional is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Janet Mills took questions about a shortage of health care workers. Health care workers in Maine will now have until Oct. 29 to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court declined Friday to block Maine's requirement for health care workers to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, even though it doesn't contain a religious exemption. New deaths: 2 Maine has seen a steady increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month. COVID vaccine Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah says the new rule is needed to protect workers, patients, and, "To keep the health care system as a whole intact as we experience more hospitalizations.". No new state of emergency was required to issue the mandate. Mills mandate Thursday evening by saying she plans to leave the nursing profession entirely, a decision she anticipates other nurses will make. Any legal analysis, legislative updates or other content and links should not be construed as legal or professional advice or a substitute for such advice. With the new Delta variant, we cannot stray from our course., MaineHealth applauds Gov. But most are choosing to get vaccinated rather than lose their jobs. The Maine CDC has also procured 10,000 additional doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine that it has prioritized for health care workers. May 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday revived claims that Maine's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is unconstitutional because vaccine mandate 2023 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529, PublishedSeptember 2, 2021 at 2:53 PM EDT, Climate Driven: A deep dive into Maine's response, one county at a time, Maine Public on Your Voice Activated Device, Infrastructure work across Maine Publics footprint, WATCH: Video On-Demand TV Programs (including Maine PBS PASSPORT), WATCH: Maine Public Television Live Stream, Maine High School Basketball Championship Weekend, Watch Maine Public Television and Additional Channels with an Antenna, Listen to Maine Public Classical on Voice-Activated Devices, Teaching Resources for The Holocaust and Stories That Matter, Community Calendar - Virtual & Live Events in Maine, StoryCorps Military Voices Recording Sessions, Facts About Maine Public's Federal Funding. Purpose: This rule is issued pursuant to the statutory authority of the Department of Health and Human Services to establish procedures for the control and He advises clients in a variety of workplace subjects, particularly focused on restrictive covenant, wage and hour, executive contracts matters, transactional employment matters especially related to mergers and acquisitions, disability law compliance measures,and related employment litigation. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. New York, for instance, is only requiring employees at state-run health care facilities to be vaccinated. Maine Republicans said a vaccine mandate should come from employers and not the government.The governors announcement was expected. A-THIRD OF THE 93 LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES IN MAINE HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO ISSUE A MANDATE. Mills Administration Requiring All Health Care Workers To Get When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. AUGUSTA Maine is joining the growing list of states requiring all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant drives up cases and hospitalizations. State officials said most of those covered by the order have complied. Sign up for daily emails with local updates and other important news. Hospitalizations: 67 It will take a long time to replace 156 experienced team members, Littleson said in a statement. Despite several efforts to encourage and incentivize vaccination, the state was unable to reach its 90% goal. New York Pushes For New Cybersecurity Requirements For Financial Financial Wellness Initiatives - Student Loan Debt Returns to Center Weekly Bankruptcy Alert July 6, 2023 (For the week ending July 2, California Superior Court Put the Brakes on Enforcement of California 2023 Texas Legislative Update: Residential Construction, OFAC Compliance in 2023: What You Need to Know, CPRA Enforcement Delayed Until at Least March 29, 2024.