Community Bridges Announces Employee Vaccine Requirement

Santa Cruz County, CA — Beginning in late October, Community Bridges will require all employees to provide proof of Covid-vaccination or require a special accommodation request for a religious or medical exemption, if eligible.

Several Bay Area counties recently urged employers to embrace vaccine requirements to address the Delta wave of Covid-19, that is disproportionately impacting unvaccinated individuals. These impacts have put additional pressure on the need for mandating vaccination across government and local public health allies.

According to Center for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky, we are now in a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” More than 97% of Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths are tragically, individuals who have not been vaccinated.

“Part of stopping the spread of Covid-19 requires that we all act in community with one another and we sacrifice for the good our community,” said Community Bridges’ CEO Raymon Cancino. “There are young children and immune-compromised individuals in our community who need our help to protect them from this virus. Our organization provides care to many potentially vulnerable seniors and children, part of caring for them is keeping them safe from the virus by protecting ourselves and we can help to slow the impact of the disease.”

Community Bridges worked closely with its UTU and SEIU union representatives to ensure the policy offered options for individuals eligible for an exemption based on medical or religious grounds. But with 87% of its workforce already vaccinated, Community Bridges is nearly there.

Community Bridges employees will continue to mask when interacting with clients at any of its program locations. The organization asks that clients – regardless of vaccine status – continue to mask when interacting at CB facilities.

For information about how to obtain a Covid-19 vaccine, visit https://communitybridges.org/covid19/.

ABOUT COMMUNITY BRIDGES

Community Bridges envisions a thriving community where every person has the opportunity to unleash their full potential. Together, our family of programs delivers essential services, provides equitable access to resources, and advocates for health and dignity across every stage of life. To learn more, please visit www.communitybridges.org.

The Community Bridges family of programs includes the Child & Adult Care Food Program, Child Development Division, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), La Manzana Community Resources, Live Oak Community Resources, Mountain Community Resources, Nueva Vista Community Resources, Elderday Adult Day Health Care, Lift Line and Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County.

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The road to recovery has begun for many flood-impacted families in the Pajaro Valley. For some, this will take weeks. For others, this will take years. Community Bridges and its community partners, including the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc., Catholic Charities Monterey, Monarch Services - Servicios Monarca, and Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, are here to help. Community groups have already distributed more than $750,000 in direct assistance to Pajaro Valley families, and now we have a three-wave plan to continue supporting their recovery.We thank Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and Community Foundation for Monterey County for sponsoring this endeavor and for their ongoing support of the Pajaro Valley during this difficult time. Read about the three-wave recovery plan in this collaborative opinion piece in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/03/27/guest-commentary-pajaro-floods-community-groups-step-up/In need of long-term disaster case management services? Reach out to La Manzana Community Resources or Catholic Charities for help.La ManzanaVisit: 521 Main St., Suite Y, Watsonville Call: 831-724-2997Catholic CharitiesCall: 831-316-9122 ... See MoreSee Less
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