RI's Health Care Vaccine Deadline Is Approaching: What To Know

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Oct. 1 deadline for Rhode Island health care workers to get their COVID-19 vaccine is fast approaching, and the state is getting ready. On Tuesday, the Department of Health announced its enforcement strategy to help facilities address unvaccinated employees.

"The enforcement strategy for our COVID-19 vaccination requirement for healthcare workers provides clear structure and guidance to facilities that are working to get the remaining few who are not vaccinated yet, while ensuring that all Rhode Islanders still have access to high quality care in facilities throughout the state," Gov. Dan McKee said.

The "vast majority" of health care workers in the state are already vaccinated gainst COVID-19, McKee said, expressing his appreciation for "the heroes of Rhode Island’s COVID-19 pandemic [who] consistently put the health and safety of their patients first."

In August, McKee and the Department of Health issued a requirement that all workers in state licensed health care facilities get their COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 1.

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the department, said that the new enforcement strategy "is not intended to be an extension or exemption of the original vaccination requirement."

"On Oct. 1, anyone that is non-compliant is subject to enforcement," Alexander-Scott said. "If there is a risk to quality of care and an unvaccinated worker must continue to work beyond Oct. 1 to mitigate that risk, the employer has 30 days to ensure that role is fulfilled by a fully vaccinated healthcare worker."

As is the case with other required vaccines, health care facilities will be required to report employee vaccination rates to the Department of Health. Facilities may also be required to develop a COVID-19 Vaccination Corrective Action Plan to ensure full compliance if they did not previously meet the full requirements of the regulations, the department said. These plans will:

• Specify the healthcare facility’s plan to ensure that all remaining healthcare workers will become vaccinated against COVID-19 within 30 days.
• Demonstrate that any unvaccinated staff who are still working after October 1 are doing so to mitigate a risk to quality of patient care.
• Specify the temporary infection prevention measures that the facility will implement for unvaccinated staff who are critically necessary to the facility’s operation.
• Outline the facility’s procedure to ensure that any new hires are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Plans must be submitted by the Oct. 1 deadline. The department will provide more information directly to health care leaders in the coming days, state leadership said.

"Similar to the approach that we take with other vaccinations that are required for healthcare workers, we are outlining and providing clear action steps to facilities to ensure full compliance by October 1," Alexander-Scott continued. "Rhode Island’s effective enforcement strategy, requiring COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers, will limit exposure to COVID-19 for vulnerable patients and will help ensure the stability of our healthcare system statewide."

According to the Department of Health, the vaccine mandate applies to about 57,600 workers. To date, about 87 percent of these workers are vaccinated, the department said, up from 77 percent at the beginning of the month.