Hospitals Must Consider Accommodation Requests Amid Pandemic

Hospitals still have to consider requests for reasonable accommodations from frontline doctors and nurses under the Americans with Disabilities Act, in a time when emergency rooms are flooded with Covid-19 patients.

Employer Obligations: Employers aren’t required to grant requests if the requested accommodations exert an “undue hardship” on the employer, according to the EEOC. Another option doctors and nurses could explore is leave, either paid or unpaid, Paige Smith reports.

Some Denials: There should be flexibility to grant the accommodation, considering many non-essential surgeries aren’t taking place, said Andrea Acevedo, president of SEIU Healthcare Michigan. But that could vary from ...