January 2022: California Department of Public Health Issues Order Requiring Booster Vaccine for Healthcare Workers

Update Applicable to:
All employers of healthcare facilities in California

What happened?
On December 22, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an order requiring workers in healthcare facilities to receive booster vaccinations.

What are the details?
Under the updated orders, covered employees will be required to get their COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022.

Under the healthcare worker order, workers for the following facilities are covered by the order:

• General Acute Care Hospitals
• Skilled Nursing Facilities (including Subacute Facilities)
• Intermediate Care Facilities
• Acute Psychiatric Hospitals
• Adult Day Health Care Centers
• Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and PACE Centers
• Ambulatory Surgery Centers
• Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospitals
• Clinics and Doctor Offices (including behavioral health, surgical)
• Congregate Living Health Facilities
• Dialysis Centers
• Hospice Facilities
• Pediatric Day Health and Respite Care Facilities
• Residential Substance Use Treatment and Mental Health Treatment Facilities

“Worker” for purposes of this order is defined as all paid and unpaid individuals who work in indoor settings where care is provided to patients or patients have access for any purpose. Per the order, this includes workers who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients and includes nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, technicians, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, students, contractual staff not employed by the facility directly, and persons not directly involved in patient care but who could be exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted in the healthcare setting (e.g., clerical, dietary, environmental services, laundry, security, engineering, and facilities management, administrative, billing, and volunteer personnel).

For more information, please see the links below:

CDPH Covid-19 Booster Shot Order

Article 1 – Article 2

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above and make changes to their vaccination policy to comply with the new order.