NOTE: This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members on Thursday, July 15.
Good morning:
Over the past 24 hours, we’ve communicated with you about the new emergency rule that OSHA imposed on hospitals and healthcare employers with respect to vaccine status, and other initiatives designed to protect employees. This rule was adopted by OSHA without the standard public input period, and without the input of hospitals and other healthcare employers. The rule is complex, and in our view, parts of it are problematic. In communicating with our colleagues around the country, it is apparent health systems are struggling to figure out how to comply, with some systems merely mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. As I’ve shared, Ballad Health is not prepared to make the vaccine mandatory at this time.
One of the provisions of the rule requires healthcare organizations to have a plan which includes “policies and procedures to determine employees’ vaccination status” and then ensuring various protections are in place for those who may be exposed.
It should be no surprise that with a 200-page rule imposed from Washington only a few weeks ago, with the deadline for most of the requirement for compliance being July 6, coupled with major potential fines and penalties for noncompliance, Ballad Health, like many other organizations, is trying in good faith to comply in a compressed time period.
Over the past 24 hours, I have had some incredibly helpful feedback from several team members who have graciously shared their insight, and provided us with some good ideas. I’m taking those ideas into consideration. As a result, I’m delaying our plans for deployment of the “badge buddies” until next week, which will give us an opportunity as a leadership team to consider these other ideas.
I want to be clear that our goal is to comply with the federal rule, to respect the privacy and choices of our team members, and to minimize the risk of penalties to Ballad Health. Most importantly, our goal is to protect our patients and ensure we do all we must do to ensure a safe, compassionate environment – something I know we all share as a priority.
THANK YOU to each of you who have been thoughtful about providing helpful input. You can be assured, we are all trying to do the right thing, and to ensure our team members have a voice in any decision we make that affects all of us. Your voice is really important.
Thanks,
Alan
Alan Levine
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ballad Health
