Providence Health & Services gave early access to the coveted COVID-19 vaccines to some members of the Oregon government and foundation councils in December and January.
Lisa Vance, CEO of Providence Oregon, said the practice amounted to “preferential treatment” for insiders, some of whom are also donors.
The Oregon Health Authority said Providence’s actions did not meet state guidelines for the initial distribution of the vaccine.
“Vaccination of hospital administrators, managers, executives, board members and other employees who do not have the greatest potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials is not in line with Phase 1a guidance,” said Jonathan Modie, Oregon Health Authority spokesperson.
Providence’s questionable vaccine allocations were small in number and occurred mainly at facilities outside Portland. Some cases involved doses that were almost expiring and needed to be injected that day, according to Providence. Still, they led the organization to launch a review of its policies and procedures.
Providence operates eight hospitals in Oregon, making it the state’s largest healthcare system. It was founded by Catholic nuns and Providence often refers to its individual hospitals and other companies as “ministries”.
“Although our ministries were acting in good faith and with the best intentions, we believe that we need to ensure that our decisions are fully aligned with our values, especially our value for justice,” said Vance. “We are responsible for ensuring equity for everyone we serve. We are taking steps to do this in the future, including working with our partners at all of our community clinics. “
Senior Providence executives in Oregon and all 17 members of the nonprofit organization’s board – the Oregon Community Ministry board – were vaccinated weeks ago. Providence insists that these vaccines for executives and their governing members were consistent with state rules because they qualify as administrative or volunteer staff under Oregon’s broad definition of health workers.
The launch of the long-awaited vaccines was difficult in Oregon and most of the rest of the country. The continuing shortage of vaccines has fueled an intense debate on how to prioritize access to life-saving vaccines.
State regulators have drawn up a detailed vaccine sequencing plan with healthcare professionals at real risk of contracting the virus on the front line rated 1st.
Oregon has put healthcare professionals on the front lines under the state’s vaccine sequencing plan.
In December, Providence offered the vaccine to all of Oregon’s 27,000 employees and medical staff. Only 70% accepted the offer. The others refused the vaccine or said they preferred to wait until more information about its safety was known, said Providence spokesman Gary Walker.
Among those who accepted the vaccine were Vance, COO William Olson and most other senior executives at Providence Oregon.
All 17 board members also received the vaccine in December or early January.
Providence argues that it has done nothing wrong by offering early vaccines to its executives and board members. He points to the broad definition of the status of a qualified health worker, which includes “administrative” and “volunteer” personnel, in addition to nurses and doctors who actually work in the COVID wards.
Providence is interpreting “administrative” to include all of its executives, regardless of how much time, if any, they actually spend looking after patients.
The Oregon Health Authority said Providence’s interpretation is incorrect.
“With Pfizer and Moderna vaccines remaining in short supply, they must make sure that these scarce resources are administered only to individuals who are eligible to receive them – and that means only the team that has the greatest potential for direct or indirect exposure to infectious materials or patients, ”said Modie, the spokesman for the health authority.
However, Modie said the state does not plan to sanction Providence. He said the health authority expects providers to take responsibility and distribute vaccines properly.
“We are asking people who work or volunteer in the health field, or work on health boards, to do the right thing: if your job does not put you at risk of direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials, you are probably is not part of Phase 1a, you are not eligible and must wait for your turn to be vaccinated, ”said Modie.
Episodes similar to Providence’s have sparked controversy across the country. The Seattle Times reported that three medical systems in that region, including the Providence medical center in Everett, gave special access to the vaccine to large donors or members of foundations.
Earlier this week, Washington warned that it may cut vaccine allocations to organizations that provide VIP access.
In southern Oregon, Providence Medford Medical Center is distributing the vaccine. Board members of the local Providence foundation were discreetly offered the opportunity to be placed on a vaccine waiting list. They would be called to receive the vaccine if the hospital ended the day with too many doses.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines must be kept at extremely low temperatures and cannot be refrozen after being thawed.
The hospital thaws a number of doses per day based on the number of appointments they have. If the patient does not appear, he must find a replacement immediately or discard the dose when it expires at the end of the day.
Providence officials said they were unsure how many insiders in Medford accepted the offer and had the chance.
On the coast, Providence Seaside Hospital offered vaccines to both the community council and the foundation council. Six of these board members accepted the offer and had the first options.
Vance of Providence did not know about the arrangements in Medford or Seaside and would have objected if she did, according to Providence spokesman Gary Walker.
Providence has 10 foundations in Oregon, including organizations in Medford and Seaside. Among them, they raised nearly $ 54 million in 2019.
Almost by definition, members of the foundation board are also important donors.
“There is certainly a long tradition of asking board members to donate a lot of money,” said Jeri Alcock, partner and senior consultant at Rose City Philanthropy in Portland.
All philanthropic councils must also have conflict of interest rules in their books, Alcock added.
“The purpose of being on the board is that you are a disinterested third party,” said the consultant. “You don’t profit from being part of it.
Providence officials initially claimed that they had complied with all of Oregon’s rules for vaccine administration.
“Providence Oregon did not give donors any preferential treatment in the COVID vaccination process,” the health care system said by email on February 1. “We acted in good faith, aligning our actions with the guidance of the Oregon Health Authority.”
Two days later, Providence stepped back from that position and admitted that some insiders did, in fact, gain preferential access.
Across the state, 369,693 people received at least one dose of the vaccine, about 8.6% of Oregon’s population.
Jeff Manning
971-263-5164