Health Care/Social Assistance

Washington — The House has passed legislation that would eliminate a rule requiring health care industry employers who participate in Medicare and Medicaid to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Washington — OSHA submitted its permanent standard on COVID-19 for the health care industry to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review Dec. 7.

Schaumburg, IL — The Emergency Nurses Association and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership have updated their Guiding Principles on Mitigating Violence in the Workplace and related toolkit.

Washington — Current NIOSH and industry regulations and professional guidelines aimed at preventing unintentional exposure to pathogens during the sterile processing of medical devices may not be sufficient to ensure provider and patient safety, results of a recent study suggest.

Washington — The National Academy of Medicine has unveiled seven priorities it says will help strengthen the well-being of the health care workforce and “restore the health of the nation.”

Sacramento, CA — New guidance from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is aimed at protecting workers from monkeypox – a viral disease that spreads mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who’s infected.

Pleasanton, CA — The transportation, health care and government sectors have experienced the greatest increases of “higher worker burnout risk” over the past year, according to a recently released report from software provider Workday.

Washington — The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled it doesn’t have the authority to order OSHA to issue a permanent standard on COVID-19 for the health care industry, denying an emergency petition filed by National Nurses United and other labor groups.

Birmingham, AL — A recent study of health care workers in U.S. ERs shows masks, gloves, gowns and other personal protective equipment were highly effective at shielding them from infection during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aliso Viejo, CA — A recent survey of nurses shows that fewer than half believe their organization values their safety and health, a drop of more than 30% in three years.