New RI Regs for Healthcare Workers Require a Wide Number of Job Titles to be Vaccinated By Oct 1
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
The Rhode Island Department of Health issued regulations on Tuesday dictating which Rhode Island Healthcare workers must be vaccinated by October 1, 2021.
The list includes everyone from security officers to volunteers to receptionists.
The job descriptions are defined as:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Health care worker" means any person who is temporarily or permanently employed by or at, or who serves as a volunteer in, or has an employment contract with, a health care facility, and has or may have direct contact with a patient in that health care facility. This may include, but not be limited to, a physician, physician assistant, nurse, nursing assistant, therapist, technician, clinician, behavioral analyst, social worker, occupational, physical or speech therapist, phlebotomist, emergency medical service practitioner, dental personnel, pharmacist, laboratory personnel, autopsy personnel, students and trainees, contractual staff not employed by the healthcare facility; other health care providers, including those who have privileges at, but are not employed by, the health care facility; and persons (e.g., clerical, dietary, housekeeping, laundry, security, maintenance, administrative, billing, and volunteers) not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed, in the course of employment, to infectious agents that can be transmitted from person to person. This term shall not apply to a patient’s family member or friend who visits or otherwise assists in the care of that patient in a health care facility.
In addition, all licensed healthcare professionals are required.
Those include, “Health care provider” means any person licensed by the Department to provide or otherwise lawfully providing health care services, including, but not limited to, a physician, dentist, nurse, optometrist, podiatrist, physical therapist, social worker, pharmacist, emergency medical service practitioner, or psychologist, provided such person is either directly involved in patient care or potentially exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted from person to person.
