Ben Fenton was recently featured in a Bloomberg Law article on religious exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in healthcare facilities and hospitals. While the CMS vaccine mandate requires 100% staff vaccination rates for full compliance, hospitals retain the power to approve religious exemption requests from employees, and they are not required to report the number of religious exemptions granted.
The article touches on the complications of validating religious exemption requests, and cautions that healthcare facilities can face consequences if they discriminate against employees for religious reasons. The article also explores external factors that could lead hospitals to grant or dismiss religious exemption requests, such as staffing concerns or workforce shortages.
In providing his insight on the ability of these employers to deny religious exemption requests, Ben notes that because hospitals treat sick patients, it’s an easy argument to claim that unvaccinated staff would be a threat to health and safety and a hardship on the business.
The full article can be found below.
Covid Vaccine Mandate Religious Exemptions Give Hospitals Leeway
