The Vaccine Mandate Challenge: Proof of Vaccines, Waivers, and Diagnostic Testing Required

WILMINGTON, N.C., Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to grant full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is pushing public and private entities to implement widespread vaccine mandates. But as many have discovered – announcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate is just the start. Finding ways to implement the mandate – including proof of vaccinations or regular diagnostic testing – can be a logistical, legal and liability nightmare.

Or it can be – without the assistance of infectious disease and compliance experts like CastleBranch, a North Carolina-based company who specializes in providing organizations with a process to manage proof of vaccinations, waivers, and ongoing diagnostic test tracking.

Thousands of organizations are now facing the daunting challenge of implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, from the federal government's Defense Department, which oversees over 766,000 civilian employees, to statewide public mandates including California and New York. In these states, public employees – including those who work in the K-12 system, are required to either show proof of vaccination or, in lieu of the vaccine, submit to regular and ongoing COVID-19 testing.

"We are now issuing guidance to make sure our school staff are vaccinated or tested regularly for themselves and their families, our students, and our communities," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a written statement Thursday, September 2. "Our children deserve to be safe and protected in schools, and I am doing everything in my power to guarantee that."

Enter CastleBranch, who in addition to donating a COVID-19 temperature, exposure and symptom monitoring tool to all K-12 school systems last week, created RealVaccinationID.com to help manage vaccination status, and provides services to assist with ongoing diagnostic test tracking.

CastleBranch's RealVaccinationID.com card includes both physical and digital proof of an individual's vaccination status, as well as provides a path for individuals to request legally permissible exemptions for medical, religious and/or philosophical reasons. The tool also creates documented audit trail for organizations who have implemented a vaccine mandate to help protect them from potentially harmful litigation. The solution is designed to protect the individual cardholder's personal, private and medical data safe from unauthorized disclosure, ensuring no sensitive information is shared without the individual's express permission. 

The card can be paired with the company's Diagnostic Test Tracking solution, part of it's overall CB COVID-19 Compliance toolset. The solution helps organizations track the results of any diagnostic COVID-19 test accessible via a secure, password-protected platform.

"COVID-19 represents one of the greatest existential threats to our health, safety and wellbeing any of us have seen in our lifetime," said Brett Martin, Founder and CEO of CastleBranch. "We developed RealVaccinationID.com and CB COVID-19 Compliance to help organizations fight back—to protect people from the storm at a time when they need it most."

CastleBranch is one of the leading providers of vaccination and immunization tracking in the United States. With 25 years' experience, the company has collected, reviewed, and/or stored over 35 million medical documents for a majority of healthcare education programs across the nation. Their solution has been endorsed by both the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the nation's two largest nursing healthcare associations, representing over 80 percent of nursing education in the country.

For more information visit RealVaccinationID.com.

About CastleBranch:

Located in Wilmington, N.C., CastleBranch is an infectious disease screening and compliance management company serving over 17,700 healthcare programs, tens of millions of individuals, and tens of thousands of employers, schools and healthcare facilities nationwide by verifying identity, tracking over 35 million medical documents, and helping individuals transition to and through professional life. CastleBranch has 25 years of experience, employs over 500 team members and has a long track record of providing innovative solutions for complex problems.

SOURCE CastleBranch

Related Links

www.castlebranch.com