McHenry County health panel approves wording to recommend stronger employee vaccination policy
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Summary
A McHenry County Department of Health committee agreed to recommend revised personnel policy language that directs annual review of CDC and IDPH guidance and to prioritize the highest standard of care for employee vaccinations and TB screening; the change will be sent to the Board of Health for approval.
A McHenry County Department of Health committee voted to send revised language to the Board of Health that would require annual review of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois Department of Public Health guidance and prioritize the highest standard of care for employee vaccinations and tuberculosis screening.
The change, discussed under section 2.6 of the department personnel policy, directs the Department of Health in consultation with the medical director to annually review CDC and IDPH recommendations and make recommendations and, if appropriate, requirements to the Board of Health that “prioritize the highest standard of care and disease prevention and control.” The committee’s action was a recommendation to the full board; the Board of Health must approve any policy change.
Committee members debated two central items: which agency’s guidance should govern day-to-day policy language (CDC versus IDPH) and whether the department must guarantee access to vaccines if the county requires them. Speakers noted a remaining technical difference in current guidance (one document referenced vaccination for adults 18 and older, the other for 19 and older) and flagged the CDC language that refers to “shared clinical decision making.” The department reported it now has COVID vaccine supply available for qualifying adults and Vaccines for Children (VFC) as of the day before the meeting and that its supplier has a current lead time of about one to two days to deliver vaccine doses.
Committee members emphasized that any requirement should be implementable. One board member said staff should provide the vaccine if the department requires it; the committee confirmed existing policy language allowing temporary waivers when the department cannot obtain a vaccine or an employee cannot be immunized because of availability. Participants also discussed maintaining medical and religious exemption processes already in the personnel policy.
The committee approved a motion forwarding the revised wording as discussed to the Board of Health for approval. The motion passed on a voice vote. The meeting later moved to an executive session under the Illinois Open Meetings Act citation referenced during the meeting.
Votes at a glance: the committee approved minutes from 04/08/2025; it approved forwarding the revised vaccination/TB screening language to the Board of Health for approval; and it voted to enter executive session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). All three motions passed on voice votes; specific roll-call counts were not provided in the transcript.
