Health Equity

Today, the DC Department of Health (DC Health) sent healthcare providers a notice of a new CME requirement.

Via emergency rulemaking, DC Health now requires physicians and other healthcare professionals to complete two (2) hours of continuing education on COVID-19 vaccines. These courses can include vaccine safety, best practices for counseling patients about the vaccines, and COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectiveness. The language for the entire notice is below.

MSDC President Dr. EW Emanuel issued the following statement today:

MSDC is aware of the new DC Health mandate for 2 hours of CME for healthcare practitioners by September 30, 2021. MSDC reaffirms its opposition to content-specific CME mandates, including a mandate on COVID-19 education, and urges DC Health to engage with the healthcare community on a better way to achieve their goals. MSDC also urges DC Health to extend the deadline if they maintain a mandate, especially as COVID variants are continuing to keep the healthcare sector on constant alert.
 
MSDC has been a partner with DC Health and the DC government on providing education on COVID-19, including the co-creation of the DC Clinician Champions Program. While we strongly disagree with this mandated CME, we are planning programs and information for the healthcare community to meet the CME requirements.

MSDC plans to share programs in the near future to help members fulfill this requirement. For any questions or comments, please contact our office.

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Dear District of Columbia Healthcare Professional Licensees, 

Seventeen months ago, the District of Columbia had its first case of COVID-19. Since then, over 51,000 DC residents have tested positive with over 1,100 lives lost due to the virus. We and our patients are fortunate to have easy access to all three safe, effective, and free COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) across all eight wards of the city. These vaccines are the best way to keep ourselves, our family, and our community safe during this pandemic. 

We know many of our patients are not ready yet to say ‘Yes’ to the vaccine. Healthcare providers continue to be ranked as one of the most trusted sources for health-related information. In other words, you are the trusted voice for your patients and community regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. A strong recommendation for the vaccine and effective vaccine counseling can build more vaccine confidence among hesitant populations. Therefore, it is imperative that all healthcare professionals in the District of Columbia feel comfortable speaking to their patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine. 

DC Health through emergency rulemaking, has now mandated that a person licensed to practice one of the identified professions (see 'Appendix' below) must complete two (2) hours of continuing education on COVID-19 vaccines, including, but not limited to, COVID-19 vaccine safety, best practices for counseling patients about COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectiveness, on or before September 30, 2021. These hours of continuing education may be counted as hours required for public health priorities training hours or optional training hours where applicable.

Attached to this notice is a list of resources for providers to obtain the required number of CEs regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. Also, I encourage you to explore the CDC’s Vaccinate with Confidence website (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence.html) for other great resources. 

If you or your patients need help finding a COVID-19 vaccine location, please visit www.vaccines.gov or https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/get-vaccinated. 

Thank you for your partnership and service to our community. I am confident that with your help, we will be able to encourage more DC Residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 
 
Appendix
List of licensed professionals that must complete COVID-19 Vaccine related Continuing Education:
1. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; 
2. Audiologist; 
3. Chiropractor; 
4. Dentist; 
5. Dietician; 
6. Doctor of Osteopath; 
7. Licensed Clinical Social Worker; 
8. Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor; 
9. Licensed Graduate Social Worker; 
10. Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker; 
11. Licensed Practical Nurse; 
12. Licensed Professional Counselor; 
13. Long Term Care Administrator; 
14. Marriage and Family Therapist; 
15. Medical Doctor; 
16. Nutritionist; 
17. Occupational Therapist; 
18. Optometrist; 
19. Pharmacist; 
20. Physical Therapist; 
21. Physician Assistant; 
22. Podiatrist; 
23. Psychologist; 
24. Registered Nurse; 
25. Respiratory Care Therapist; or 
26. Speech Language Pathologist. 
 
 
• COVID Vaccine CME Options_8.9.pdf
• Proposed Rulemaking - Replacing PHE_21_08_09.pdf