WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — The Wood County Health Department falls under the CMS vaccine requirement because they're part of the Federally Qualified Health Center, or FQHC, which receives money from Medicare and Medicaid.
The Wood County Board of Health plans to discuss if the mandate is allowed to be enforced within the department.
"People either have to be vaccinated, they have to be fully working off-site or they have to apply and receive an exemption for an approved medical or religious reason," said Wood County Health Commissioner Benjamin Robison.
He said they're hoping to get some more clarity on two major topics circulating the requirement.
"How widely at the health department this vaccine requirement would apply if the rule is found to be enforceable," Robison explained. "And the other question, as I said before, the options we have available to comply with that rule if we have to do so."
Robison said this requirement isn't something the board sought out on their own - it was passed down from the federal level.
He emphasized the board wants to discuss how they can take matters into their own hands.
"It's a necessary issue to consider and just like many other facilities - we're hearing about hospitals and nursing homes who are in the same boat we are," said Robison. "The Board of Health is addressing these concerns and understanding how they might have to work through this should the rule be found to be enforceable."