Renton, Wash.-based Providence is offering new benefits for workers who receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the 51-hospital health system said in a Dec. 17 statement shared with Becker's.
The new benefits include up to two days of paid pandemic administrative leave for employees who miss scheduled shifts because of vaccine side effects. Providence said employees who need to schedule their shot on their day off will also receive one hour of pay for inconvenience associated with vaccine availability and limited appointment times.
While new vaccine benefits were added, other employee benefits were extended. These include complete coverage of in-network medical claims for COVID-19 treatment and paid pandemic administrative leave when applicable for exposure or symptoms, both extended through March 31.
Providence said employees who test positive for COVID-19, are not on employer-provided short-term disability, do not qualify for workers' compensation and have exhausted their other paid time off will also be able to receive 65 percent pay through March 31.
"In the last two days alone, Providence [is in the process of scheduling] 45,000 vaccinations, with thousands more to come in the days and weeks ahead," Rod Hochman, MD, president and CEO of Providence, said in the statement. "This is a massive effort, key to changing the trajectory of this pandemic. At the same time, Providence is face to face with the biggest surge yet. That's why Providence added or extended benefits to support caregivers through this tough time."
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