The Administrator at Murray Developmental Center says no employees have yet been laid off due to refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Lori Demijan says those who filed objections to taking the vaccine on religious or medical grounds are currently having them reviewed by the Department of Human Services in Springfield. They will be returned with a decision.
For those who have not been vaccinated and didn’t ask for an exemption, Demijan says those cases are moving towards disciplinary hearings as set out under the AFSCME union contract.
Demijan declined to give the number of employees who haven’t been vaccinated, but says vaccines remain available daily at Murray Center and additional employees are becoming vaccinated.
Governor Pritzker had given employees of Department of Human Services congregate facilities until October 26th to get their first vaccine. Under the union contract, those who don’t comply face disciplinary layoffs until they are vaccinated. Those employees would be able to return for up to a year, but would not receive health insurance or benefits during the period they are not working.
Demijan says Murray Center continues to screen employees every day and testing those who are not vaccinated two times a week. Those who are vaccinated can also be tested on request.
Positive cases in employees is continuing to lead to cottages being placed on quarantine until testing is able to confirm any positive cases. The cottage quarantines can last from three to 14 days. Demijan says as a result, cottages go on and off quarantine. Just one cottage is currently on quarantine.
There are currently seven Murray Center employees with COVID-19 or on quarantine as a result of close contact. She notes about a third of the COVID-19 cases the facility has seen are breakthrough cases in vaccinated employees.
Demijan notes the mandate to be vaccinated goes beyond the state, as the federal government is cutting off Medicare funding to facilities that do not have employees fully vaccinated. On a positive note, Demijan has announced they are in the process of offering jobs to 25 additional mental health technicians. Murray also continues to have a contract for outside staff to help fill shortfalls of workers that has been in place since April of last year.
Meanwhile, the requirement for vaccination for Illinois Department of Correction employees has now gone to arbitration.
