Dear Circle of Care Clients, Caregivers and Families:
As you may be aware, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) recently issued a new directive, which required home and community care providers to establish, implement and ensure compliance with a COVID-19 vaccination policy for its employees, volunteers, and students to minimize transmission of COVID-19.
I would like to assure you that Circle of Care has complied with this directive, and has established a COVID-19 vaccination policy for all Circle of Care staff.
Our Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy states that all Circle of Care employees, volunteers and students are required to provide one of the following:
- Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19; OR
- A medical and/or religious attestation indicating the reason for exemption and the effective time period (i.e., permanent or time-limited).
Any staff member or volunteer who provides a medical/religious attestation that does not allow them to have full vaccination against COVID-19 will be subject to regular Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) every seven (7) days (or as deemed appropriate). A negative test result will be required to be submitted to Circle of Care weekly or more frequently if required.
The benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risks, and many more illnesses and deaths would occur without vaccines. Vaccines prevent illness and disease, and save lives and livelihoods. Mass vaccination will protect people’s lives and help Canada recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the year, we have been educating our staff on the science and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination and Circle of Care strongly supports the scientific community and directives from the Ministry of Health and our Chief Medical Officer of Health and Public Health.
Please be aware that we cannot share the vaccination status of any staff member with our clients or their families, as this remains private health information. However, I would like to reassure you that all our staff are continually educated and trained on infection prevention protocols and on wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for their home visits. These protocols will remain in place for all staff as we continue to adhere to provincial and public health guidelines and mandates. Our staff will also continue to complete a self-screening questionnaire prior to client visits to reduce the risk of infection as much as possible, and to wear additional PPE if clients indicate potentially infectious symptoms.
Together with our employees, volunteers, and students, we remain dedicated to providing the best possible care for our clients, caregivers, and their families. Our mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy helps us ensure that as we continue providing home and community care, we can mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, and work towards an end to the pandemic. It’s good to be home, and we’re committed to helping our clients continue to live happy and fulfilling lives in the community.
Sincerely,
Carey Lucki
Chief Executive Officer, Circle of Care, and VP, Sinai Health