Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 216 - Department of health › Chapter 20 - Community Health › Subchapter 15 - Information for Health Care Professionals › Part 7 - Immunization, Testing, and Health Screening for Health Care Workers › Section 216-RICR-20-15-7.6 - Minimum Standards for Immunization and Communicable Disease Testing for Health Care Workers

Current through June 14, 2024
A. A pre-employment
				  health screening shall be required for each healthcare worker involved in
				  direct patient contact. Acceptable evidence shall be provided by the healthcare
				  worker that testing and/or immunization for the communicable diseases listed in
				  these Regulations for pre-employment health screening have been
				  completed.
B. The healthcare
				  facility shall document, in written or electronic form, that said acceptable
				  evidence has been provided by the healthcare worker and validated by the
				  practitioner as being acceptable in accordance with §
										7.7   of this Part. Copies of
				  said acceptable evidence shall be maintained in the healthcare worker's
				  file.
C. A practitioner shall have
				  responsibility for performance of the pre-employment health screening. Such a
				  practitioner may be an employee of the facility where employment is sought or
				  may be an independent non-employee, contracted practitioner.
D. A healthcare worker who is not in
				  compliance with these requirements shall be excluded from attending patients in
				  a healthcare facility until the requirements are met.
7.6.1
Immunization and Testing
				  Requirements
A. In accordance with the
				  guidelines set forth in §
											7.3(B)   of
				  this Part, evidence of immunity is required for all healthcare workers (except
				  for healthcare workers who receive a medical exemption) against:
1. Measles, Mumps and Rubella
a. Pre Employment: Two (2) doses of MMR
				  (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine. Alternatively, two (2) doses of a live
				  measles-containing vaccine, two (2) doses of a live mumps-containing vaccine
				  and one (1) dose of a rubella vaccine. The first
				  (1st) dose of vaccine must have been administered on
				  or after the first (1st) birthday. The second
				  (2nd) dose of a measles or mumps containing vaccine
				  must be administered at least four (4) weeks after the first
				  (1st) dose. or
b. Laboratory evidence of immunity or
				  laboratory confirmation of disease (i.e., laboratory report of positive IgG
				  titers for measles, and mumps and rubella). An equivocal laboratory result for
				  measles, mumps and/or rubella are considered negative and vaccination is
				  required.
c. Current Healthcare
				  Workers. For unvaccinated health care workers born before 1957 who lack
				  laboratory evidence of measles immunity or laboratory confirmation of disease,
				  two (2) doses of MMR vaccine is recommended.
d. Outbreak Control. For unvaccinated
				  healthcare workers born before 1957 who lack laboratory evidence of measles
				  immunity or laboratory confirmation of disease, health-care facilities shall
				  require two (2) doses of MMR vaccine during an outbreak of
				  measles.