Evansville health board grants flu shot exemptions - WDRB 41 Louisville - News, Weather, Sports Community

Evansville health board grants flu shot exemptions

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- Vanderburgh County Board of Health employees won't be required to get flu shots this year if they can claim a religious exemption.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports the health board changed its policy to allow the exemption a year after implementing a rule requiring flu shots for its roughly 60 employees. Authorities say the workers can contract or spread the virus during encounters with the public.

But some staff members resisted, and the measure wasn't enacted while it awaited a review by county attorneys.

Board members say they have some concerns about how a religion will be defined.

The county's health officer, Dr. Ray Nicholson, says he'd prefer that the shots be mandatory except for medical exemptions but that it's important to keep a happy workforce.

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    Thanks to a grant from Norton Healthcare, this story and others are available in real-time closed captioning on WDRB.