The mandate requiring employees of Rock Haven to get the COVID-19 vaccine remains in place after hours of debate by the Rock County Board.
It passed an amended resolution late Thursday night to allow the mandate to continue, with exemptions for reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Civil Rights Act and Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.
Thirteen board members voted yes, four voted no, and 11 abstained. Many board members changed their votes to abstentions after the majority of the votes were cast in a roll call.
The change in policy would allow the nursing home employees to keep their jobs without getting the vaccine if they qualify for the exceptions laid out in those federal protections.
Under the new policy, employees with certain disabilities or pre-existing health conditions would be exempt from the mandate, along with pregnant or nursing mothers and those with “bona fide religious objections.”
Workers who do not qualify under these protections will still be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to keep their jobs at Rock Haven.
Those who have an adverse reaction to the first dose of the two-stage vaccine will not be required to get the second dose.
Director of Nursing Sara Beran said Rock Haven has had 48 staff members and 13 residents test positive for the coronavirus so far. Two residents died as a result, and one employee who tested positive last summer is still recovering and unable to work.
The county’s contact tracing found that all of the patients who tested positive were exposed by employees carrying the disease, as opposed to outside visitors or vendors.
