Washington County repeals home health vaccine mandate

WASHINGTON — Members of the Washington County Board of Health voted unanimously Thursday to deactivate COVID-19 mitigation requirements for the county’s home health staff.

The rules required the public health department employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit valid religious and medical exemptions. Regardless of their vaccination status, the policy required staff to certify in writing that they had not experienced more than one flu-like symptom every week, and spelled out conditions where home health workers would have to wear face masks and take further mitigation measures.

The policy was contentious when first presented in February of 2022, although a compromise plan was reached by the end of that month. At the time, Nursing Director Karri Fisher said the measures were required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“If we don’t institute measurable (mitigation), then we stand at very high risk to be cited by CMS,” she said at one meeting last year. “What that means, especially in this instance, is we hold ourselves open to civil monetary penalties as well as decertification. And that is going to impact the residents of this county, because we will no longer be able to provide care.”

In the last three weeks, however, those requirements were removed by federal officials according to Washington County Public Health Director Emily Tokheim.

“Those policies are things we enacted because of the pandemic, and CMS is saying, in order to be in compliance with our certification, we no longer have to have those,” she said at Thursday’s Board of Health meeting.

Board Member Dr. Trevor Martin made the motion. He said he was happy to vote in favor of the change.

“I think it’s a good idea to take it off,” he said after the meeting. “It’s not needed, and so I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com