HHD files waiver applications for employee COVID-19 vaccination mandate

On Friday Sept. 3, Haxtun Hospital District filed a State Regulation Waiver Application Request with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment on behalf of Haxtun Hospital District regarding the recent "emergent" regulation change for COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare employees.

The Waiver asks that Haxtun Hospital District be exempted from the requirement. Haxtun Hospital District believes that this change will cause a critical staffing shortage and adversely affect the health, safety and welfare of the District's residents, patients and community.

On Aug. 30, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment voted six to one to change the Colorado Code of Regulations (6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 12) regarding COVID-19 Immunization of employees. The CDPHE has the Statutory Authority to define the rules and regulations for healthcare facilities. Noncompliance with the law set by CDPHE can result in a healthcare facility's loss of license. This change in the law requires that healthcare facilities develop and implement a policy and procedure to ensure that 100 percent of employees have obtained full COVID-19 vaccination. There is a potential for a facility to seek a waiver of the 100 percent vaccination rate on the basis that one or more individuals have claimed a religious exemption. There is also potential for an individual to obtain a medical exemption for medical contraindications as described in the product labeling approved or authorized by the FDA.

"We respect our employees' rights to choose to be vaccinated or not and have reflected that in our policies and practices. We are in a situation now where the law has mandated vaccines for our Team. Noncompliance risks closure of our facility through the loss of our license," said Dewane Pace, Chief Executive Officer at HHD. "The safety of our employees, the safety of our patients and our community is a top priority. Losing our license and closing our hospital or losing part of the Team that takes care of our patients is certainly not what is best for our community. We are working toward having neither of those happen while we also work to be compliant with the law."

In addition to this waiver application, HHD has already been in contact with government officials and is working through options and developing policies that will provide exemptions for medical and/or religious reasons.

"Many rural healthcare facilities across the State are at risk of losing too many employees to maintain healthcare operations," said Julia Biesemeier, Chief Community Relations Officer at Haxtun Health.

This creates an enormous barrier in access to care for rural Colorado.

"This isn't about what side of the political aisle someone might be on, this is about making sure there is a Haxtun Healthcare Professional standing at the ER entrance when community member comes in with chest pains or if the whistle goes off in town, there is a paramedic on the way," Biesemeier added.

Haxtun Hospital District's waiver application can be found online at HaxtunHealth.org and is also posted at each public entrance of the hospital.