While millions of Americans wait for the COVID-19 vaccine, hospital board members, their curators and donors across the country have gained early access to scarce medicine or vaccination offers, raising complaints about favoritism, contaminating decisions about who will be inoculated and when.
In Rhode Island, Atty. General Peter Neronha opened an investigation after reports that two hospital systems offered vaccines to his council members. A hospital system in the Seattle area was rebuked by Washington Governor Jay Inslee after offering COVID-19 vaccination markings to major donors. And in Kansas, hospital board members received vaccines during the state’s first phase of implantation, which was aimed at people at increased risk of infection.
Hospitals in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia also faced doubts about the distribution of vaccines, including for donors, administrators and relatives of executives.
The disclosures could threaten public confidence in a national launch already marked by a shortage of vaccines, naming standards and inconsistent state-to-state standards to determine who is eligible.
“We want people to be vaccinated based on priority, not privilege,” said Inslee spokesman Mike Faulk. “Everyone deserves a fair chance to be vaccinated.”
Under the guidance of the federal government, states have established tiered distribution pipelines with the primary objective of protecting essential workers and those most at risk, including older Americans. In California, for example, medical workers, first responders, nursing home residents and people 65 and older are at the front of the line for coveted injections.
In some cases, it is not clear whether the rules were violated when people outside the priority groups received the vaccines. The guidelines vary by state, and hospitals may be free to make decisions. In California, providers have more latitude to ensure that they do not waste hard-to-obtain vaccines in cases where they may be missed.
In Rhode Island, Atty. General Peter Neronha launched an investigation into two hospital systems after the Providence Journal reported this month that some members of the Lifespan and Care New England hospital systems council had received offers of vaccination.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Neronha said the news, if true, raised questions about whether the vaccine was being properly distributed.
“We all know that the stakes are incredibly high. People are frustrated, they are afraid, ”said Neronha. “Given the lack of supply here, each dose is critical.”
Care New England spokeswoman Raina Smith said in an e-mailed statement that administrators would cooperate with the investigation. Lifespan spokeswoman Kathleen Hart emailed a statement saying that the hospital system followed the guidance of Rhode Island health officials and was recently authorized to vaccinate employers and volunteers considered to be at least risk, “including members of the council, who fall into the category of volunteers “.
The Seattle Times reported that Overlake Medical Center & Clinics sent an email to about 110 donors who donated more than $ 10,000 to the hospital system, notifying them that vaccine vacancies were available. The e-mail provided donors with an access code to sign up for consultation by invitation only.
At the same time, Overlake’s public registration site was full until March. The medical center’s operations director said the invitation was a quick fix after the hospital’s scheduling system failed. Overlake closed online access to the clinic for guests only after receiving a call from Inslee’s team, and CEO J. Michael Marsh apologized.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan called on the state to reassess its vaccine policy to ensure that the most vulnerable, especially people of color, are prioritized. Hospital donors should be banned, she said.
“We have an obligation to ensure that our fight against the pandemic does not exacerbate inequalities,” she said.
Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, said it is not surprising that hospitals provided with the vaccine to inoculate their staff interpret the guidelines broadly and include those that do not work directly with patients , as computer technicians.
But giving hospital board members early access to the vaccine, regardless of the rationale for each hospital, only undermines public confidence that vaccines are being distributed equitably, Caplan said.
“It is a reminder that if you are rich, well connected and know how to operate the system, you can gain access that others cannot,” said Caplan. “Here it is, right in our face, when it comes to vaccines.”
Fred Naranjo, owner of a San Francisco insurance company and chairman of the board at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, California, received the first vaccine before Christmas, along with first aid and frontline health workers.
Naranjo told KNTV-TV that he was not seeking special treatment before the others. He said he used to be in the hospital “walking down the halls, talking to people” and wanted to serve as a model for other people in the Latin community to be vaccinated.
“What I wanted to do principally is to show people that they should get the vaccine and not be afraid,” said Naranjo. “That is safe. They need to be protected. “
Hospital spokesman Sam Singer said Naranjo was the only board member to receive the vaccination because he visits the hospital weekly to meet with doctors, nurses and patients.
In Kansas, members of the Stormont Vail Health board, along with their fundraising board, received vaccines during the first phase of the program, which focused on nursing homes and healthcare professionals. Spokesperson Matt Lara said workers were vaccinated first and board members received them because they govern the hospital and its daily operations.
In Santa Clara County, California, southeast of San Francisco, health officials are withholding COVID-19 vaccines from a hospital after he offered the vaccine to about 65 teachers and staff in a wealthy school district in Silicon Valley. , avoiding people over 65 and health professionals.
Teachers and staff at the Los Gatos Union School District received an email last week from Superintendent Paul Johnson offering vaccines ahead of schedule. In the email, first reported by the San Jose Spotlight news agency, Johnson said the hospital’s offer was made in gratitude because the district raised funds for 3,500 meals that went to the frontline staff at the Good Samaritan Hospital and other facilities.
The teachers, in the email, were instructed to impersonate health professionals, despite the threat of perjury to gain access to the vaccine. Good Samaritan CEO Joe DeSchryver said in a statement on Tuesday that all consultations for a vaccine for people who are not health professionals or older than 65 have been canceled.
“We regret the mistake we made in our efforts to use all vaccines before expiration,” he wrote.