HPAE Local 5089 RNs: Flu Vaccine Update

On November 28, 2018, HPAE reached an agreement with University Hospital that protects members who require a religious or medical accommodation related to the flu vaccine policy recently implemented. The Hospital is demanding that every HPAE member comply with the policy by November 30th or risk being denied access on December 1st, which is why it was a priority for the union to address the issues that we felt violated our members’ rights.

HPAE had serious concerns about management’s policy and we were successful in forcing UH to allow our members the right to submit a request for an accommodation through November 30th. In the event that a member submits a request for an accommodation on or before November 30th, management will grant an extension until December 7th while their request is being processed.

HPAE was successful in forcing management to process all requests for medical accommodations through the human resources department as opposed to being reviewed directly by Dr. Ramunno, Chief Medical Officer, which clearly violated HIPAA. Furthermore, management agreed that members will not be required to provide additional documentation from their religious provider if they have submitted a request for a religious accommodation.

If you have been denied or have any questions regarding the flu vaccine policy, then feel free to contact your local union rep for more information.

In Unity,

Cynthia McDougall, RN

President, HPAE Local 5089