Failure to Document COVID-19 Vaccination Status for Staff
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to document and maintain records of COVID-19 vaccination status for seven out of eighty staff members, including licensed nurses, a laundry aide, certified nursing assistants, and a cook. During a concurrent interview and record review, the Director of Staff Development and the Infection Control Nurse confirmed that they could not locate COVID-19 vaccination records for these staff members in the Employee Records. The Director of Staff Development stated that immunizations, including COVID-19, are offered to new hires during their first day of orientation, but documentation for these seven staff members was missing. Interviews with the Administrator and Nurse Consultant confirmed that the facility encourages staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for safety and that vaccination is recommended to prevent respiratory infections. A review of the facility's policy indicated that vaccination status should be assessed and documented prior to or upon an employee's duty assignment. Despite this policy, the records for the identified staff members did not include documentation of their COVID-19 vaccination status.