Board of Health - Personnel Committee, 9-2-26

The McHenry County Board of Health Personnel Committee convened on September 2, 2026, primarily to review and discuss updates to the county's personnel policy section 2.6 concerning vaccination and tuberculosis screening requirements. A significant focus was on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees. Committee members reviewed vaccination rates, exemption types, and the cost implications of providing the vaccine, which was approximately $12,543 for the staff doses. After deliberation, the committee leaned toward amending the policy to no longer mandate the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment but to strongly encourage it instead, while continuing to provide the vaccine onsite to improve accessibility. They also discussed restructuring the policy to reference an annually updated vaccination schedule appendix to allow flexibility in future adjustments. The committee agreed to recommend these changes to the full Board of Health for approval. Additionally, a motion was passed to enter executive session to review past executive session minutes. No specific contract awards or procurement decisions were made, but budget considerations related to vaccine costs were discussed.