Crucial Conversation with a Colleague

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine who shared the same room as I did was identified with the H1N1 virus and was out of commission for a few days. During that time I did what I could to support her absence--set agendas for the substitute, follow up with the class, co-taught with the substitute during my prep hours, and updated her on our staff meeting. That weekend, she updated me on her recovery process, stating that her fever was gone but she still had coughing and chest congestions. She told me that she was coming to school Monday since she did not want to miss any more days of school.
After talking with her over the phone, I thought about the ramifications of what this would mean. There was still a chance that she will be contagious to both staff members and students. I knew that I had to call her back and ask her to clarify if the virus could still be potentially contagious, which could come off as getting too personal, even potentially violating her privacy. Stakes were definitely high and a crucial conversation was definitely inevitable.
Although this conversation was prior to our meeting, I did already read the book so I had decided to try out some of the techniques. I decided to first start by stating the mutual purpose, which is her full recovery and the learning progress of our students at school. I told her that I didn't mind taking over her class, making the necessary worksheets, and following up with her substitutes on other classes that I was unable to supervise. Then, I told her that I was also concerned that if she didn't fully recover she can risk infecting others in the school.
At first there was an awkward moment of silence, but then she admitted that she did need to go back to the doctors and get a confirmation if she was indeed contagious or not. I followed her compliance up with a contrast. I told her that my concern wasn't only about her risking infecting others. It was also that I truly wanted her to make a full recovery so that there are no chances for a relapse if she is put under duress at work. Additionally, it wouldn't benefit the students if the teacher is still sick. I also offered to talk with the principal first to see if there could be a circumstantial exception made on her behalf since she has already exceeded her sick days leave. She agreed and took it pretty well. She ended up taking one more leave of absence to go to the doctors to get checked out. She came to school the following Tuesday with a note stating that the H1N1 virus is no longer contagious.
Overall, I think it only strengthened our relationship since she knows that I will support her when she is absent and conversely, there wouldn't be any uneasiness or misgivings that would have surrounded her without the doctor's stamp of approval to come to work.