COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S. and it’s having a huge impact on the healthcare industry. Optimizing patient outcomes and saving lives on the frontlines of COVID-care rely on skilled and resilient staff with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Healthcare HR teams and leaders face enormous challenges, from evolving staffing needs within the organization to meeting the changing needs of the larger community they serve. And the pace of change during this crisis has been dizzying.

As businesses reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, contact tracing to track viral exposure in the workplace will become a critical part of helping to slow the spread of the virus and protect workers. So what do employers need to know before implementing contact tracing?

The world has changed and so have our workplaces. As HR leaders, we’re working without a guide and have had to quickly pivot many of the things we once took for granted, like mail service and obtaining copies of personal documentation including birth certificates and social security cards from new hires. The most important of these requirements is the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification.

As employers across the nation begin the process of reactivating their workforce, they must develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures that follow Federal, State, and local regulations, guidance, and industry best practices.  As an employer in our country, you must provide a safe and effective workplace for your employees. Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Act dates back to 1970.

Healthcare organizations across the country face stay-at-home orders that make it difficult to deliver in-person care. But even outside of the urgent need for providers to provide care to critically ill patients with COVID-19, patients need access to care when they are ill or injured by other causes. 

On March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was passed in response to the spread of COVID-19. The act brings relief to states in need of funds to pay unemployment insurance to claimants. It commits $1 billion to cover the costs of processing and paying unemployment insurance, as well as 100% federal funding for extended benefits.