Los Angeles County is expanding on the state's health care worker vaccination mandate by adding some categories to the list, including EMTs and paramedics.
L.A. City and County firefighters are among the county workers who must be EMT-certified. One firefighter local has sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors requesting a meeting on the mandate, saying the County cannot "unilaterally implement the mandatory vaccination policy."
But, county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl wants to know if other public safety workers might be added to the list.
“For instance, are sheriff’s deputies all trained [with] red-cross training where they will provide CPR and, therefore, might be called upon to be pre-hospital health care workers?” asked Kuehl.
The sheriff's deputies union is among the law enforcement groups that have voiced their displeasure with vaccination mandates.
County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the department would consider expanding the mandate to new groups of workers.
“We hadn’t really considered this much broader category, but we are happy to go ahead and have our team look at that,” said Ferrer.
The county is also requiring home health workers and people employed in dental care to get vaccinated by Sept. 30.