# Plain Language Summary: Vaccine INFO Act

This bill requires nursing facilities to give their staff clear information about vaccines that health experts recommend for healthcare workers. Specifically, the federal government has to update its rules within six months to make sure nursing homes develop policies that inform all their employees about the benefits and potential side effects of vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—the group of medical experts that advises the country on which vaccines people should get.

The bill has three main requirements. First, every nursing home employee must receive information about each recommended vaccine and what it does. Second, if a nursing facility actually offers a vaccine to its staff, it must give workers the information about that vaccine's benefits and side effects before they get the shot. Third, if a nursing facility doesn't offer a particular vaccine on-site, it still has to tell employees where they can get that vaccine elsewhere and what it might cost them.

In practical terms, this means nursing home workers will have better access to vaccine information before making decisions about their own health. It also means nursing homes can't just offer vaccines without first making sure their employees understand what they're getting. For facilities that don't provide vaccines directly, they'll need to point staff toward other places where they can get vaccinated and explain any out-of-pocket costs. This is particularly important for nursing homes because their workers are around vulnerable elderly residents, so keeping staff informed about vaccination options helps protect both the workers and the people they care for.

Vaccine INFO Act

Bilirakis, Gus M.

Vaccine Information for Nursing Facility Operators Act or the Vaccine INFO Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services to revise specified regulations that govern infection prevention and control programs in Medicare skilled nursing facilities and Medicaid nursing facilities to ensure that facilities provide their staff with specified information about certain immunizations. For each immunization recommended for health care personnel by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, facilities must provide their staff with information about the benefits and potential side effects of each immunization. Additional requirements apply based on whether or not a facility offers any of the recommended immunizations to its staff. Facilities that offer such immunizations must provide the information to staff before offering the immunization. Facilities that do not offer such immunizations must also provide information to staff about the availability and costs of the immunizations.