Latest Update
CBC Removes Student Vaccination Requirement
As of September 12, 2022, Columbia Basin College will no longer require vaccination attestation for students to attend classes on campus or utilize on-campus services and resources. While we remain committed to encouraging all students to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, community transmission levels remain low therefore we are opening our campus to all students regardless of vaccination status.
Frequently Asked Questions
COVID-19 Education & Training
The Washington Department of Health maintains an excellent webpage with workplace-related guidance. Additionally, you can follow the latest COVID-related information from the CDC at their COVID information webpage.
The CDC is the best source of information about how the virus spreads and how to protect yourself, in addition to the most current national and global assessments. Other resources include:
Counseling Services:
Your mental and emotional health are important to us. Students have access to our
on-campus personal counseling service, C.A.R.E. Students can make an appointment free
of charge by emailing counselingFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN or calling 509-547-0511.
Employees have access to an Employee Assistance Program, which can be accessed by calling First Choice Health at 1-800-777-4114 or visiting their website First Choice Health - EAP Member Services (fchn.com) and entering "columbiabasin" as the username to login.
The Washington State Department of Health website has information in 11 languages.
CBC follows the CDC's updated guidance on quarantine and isolation.
Vaccines are widely available in our community. The WA Vaccine Locator can direct you to a free vaccination site. For more information on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, please visit the CDC’s website.
Safety Measures
Custodial crews are continually cleaning frequently touched surfaces throughout campus with disinfectants specifically approved by the EPA use with COVID-19.
Additionally, COVID-19 Cleaning Stations with proper cleaning supplies have been distributed across campus to support sanitation and cleanliness of commonly touched surfaces.
We will continue to follow these practices to prevent the spread of illness, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For reliable, up-to-date COVID-19 information, please visit the Washington State Department of Health and Benton-Franklin Health District websites.
CBC offers a streamlined process to provide alternative work assignments or arrangements for employees that are at high-risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
- Requests Related to Employees at High-Risk: Employees whose age or health condition falls within one of the CDC High-Risk categories may request a COVID-19 related alternative work assignment or arrangement by submitting a COVID-19 High-Risk Employee Request Form with supporting medical verification from their health care provider.
- Requests Unrelated to Employees at High-Risk: Employee requests for a COVID-19 related workplace adjustment as a caregiver for an individual with a disability, or due to a concern for someone in the same household; or because of childcare issues, or any other reason unrelated to the employee being in a high-risk category, the interactive process described above for high-risk employee status does NOT apply. Such requests should be directed to the supervisor for evaluation and consideration.
Employees who believe they will need an alternative work assignment or arrangement as a high-risk employee should submit a Request Form as soon as possible in order to provide the necessary time for consideration of the request and, as appropriate, implementation of an alternative work assignment or arrangement. This will allow supervisors to anticipate and prepare for implementation of alternate work assignments and arrangements for submission of their department or area-level plans on July 1.
Once the Request Form and medical verification are received, they will be reviewed by the Human Resources Office for evaluation with the employee’s supervisor to determine if the recommended alternative work assignment or arrangement is feasible. The interactive process may include multiple conversations, additional exchanges of information, evaluation of the duties and responsibilities, and the employee’s skills and abilities prior to determining an alternative work assignment or arrangement. A written determination at the conclusion of the process will be provided to the employee along with any other available options.
Those with questions about their request while it is under review may contact the Human%20Resources%20Office.
Yes! We will continue to offer courses in all formats – in person, online and hybrid.
Mask use is optional. Please Note: that some clinical settings in health sciences may require masking.
