As millions of Americans wait for the COVID-19 vaccine, hospital administrators, their administrators and donors across the country have gained early access to the scarce drug or vaccinations offerings, filing complaints about favoritism that spoils decisions about who is going vaccinated and when.
In Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha opened an investigation after reports that two hospital systems were offering their board members vaccinations. A hospital system in the Seattle area was reprimanded by Washington government Jay Inslee after offering COVID-19 vaccination appointments to major donors. And in Kansas, members of a hospital board received vaccinations during the first phase of the state rollout, which was intended for people at higher risk of infection.
Hospitals in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia have also faced questions about vaccine distribution, including to donors, administrators, and executives’ relatives.
The disclosures could jeopardize public confidence in a national rollout already characterized by vaccine shortages, deal breakdowns and inconsistent standards for determining 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 get vaccinated.”
At the direction of the federal government, states have established tiered distribution pipelines primarily aimed at 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 in the front line for the coveted shots.
In some cases, it is not clear whether rules were broken when people outside the priority groups received vaccinations. Guidelines vary by state and hospitals can make decisions. In California, providers have more leeway to ensure they don’t waste hard-to-obtain vaccines in cases where it may be lost.
Attorney General Peter Neronha started an investigation in Rhode Island in two hospital systems after The Providence Journal reported this month that some hospital systems board members had received Lifespan and Care New England vaccinations.
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Neronha said the report, if true, raises questions about whether the vaccine was properly distributed.
“We all know the stakes are unbelievably high. People are frustrated, they are scared, ”Neronha said. “Given the lack of supply here, every dose is crucial.”
Care New England spokeswoman Raina Smith said in an emailed statement that administrators would cooperate with the probe. Lifespan spokeswoman Kathleen Hart e-mailed a statement saying the hospital system had followed the guidelines of Rhode Island health officials and recently received approval to vaccinate lower-risk employers and volunteers, “including board members, who fall into the volunteer category.”
The Seattle Times has reported that Overlake Medical Center & Clinics sent an email to about 110 donors who gave more than $ 10,000 to the hospital system, stating that vaccine slots were available. The email gave the donors an access code to register for appointments only “by invitation”.
At the same time, Overlake’s public registration site was fully booked through March. The medical center’s chief operating officer said the invitation was a quick fix after the hospital’s scheduling system failed. Overlake closed online invitation-only access to the clinic after receiving a call from Inslee staff, 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 a duty to ensure that our fight against the pandemic does not exacerbate inequality,” she said.
Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, said it is not surprising that hospitals supplied with vaccines to inoculate their employees would interpret the guidelines broadly to include those who do not directly interact with patients work, such as computer technicians.
But by giving hospital administrators early access to the vaccine regardless of an individual hospital’s rationale, it damages public confidence that shots will be fairly distributed, Caplan said.
“It reminds us that if you’re rich, well connected, and know how to work with the system, you can get access that others can’t,” said Caplan. “Here it is, right to our face, when it comes to vaccinations.”
Fred Naranjo, owner of an insurance company in San Francisco and chairman of the board of directors of St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, California, received a first vaccine before Christmas, along with first responders and primary care personnel.
Naranjo told KNTV-TV he did not seek special treatment for others. He said he often “walks the halls of the hospital, talking to people” and wanted to serve as a role model for others in the Spanish community to get vaccinated.
“The main thing I wanted to do is show people to take the vaccine and not be afraid,” said Naranjo. ‘That it is safe. They must be protected. “
Hospital spokesperson Sam Singer said Naranjo was the only board member to receive a vaccination because he visits the hospital weekly to meet doctors, nurses and patients.
In Kansas, members of the Stormont Vail Health council, along with the fundraising board, received vaccinations during the first phase of the program, which targeted nursing homes and health professionals. Spokesman Matt Lara said workers got shots first, and board members received them because they run the hospital and daily operations.
In Santa Clara County, California, southeast of San Francisco, health officials are holding COVID-19 vaccines from a hospital after it offers the vaccine to about 65 teachers and staff from an affluent Silicon Valley school district, including people over 65 and health workers are skipped.
Los Gatos Union School District teachers and staff received an email last week from Chief Inspector Paul Johnson offering vaccines ahead of schedule. Reported first in the email by the San Jose Spotlight news outlet, Johnson said the hospital’s offer was made in gratitude because the district raised money for 3,500 meals that went to front-line workers at Good Samaritan Hospital and another facility.
Teachers were told in the email to impersonate health workers, despite the threat of perjury to access the vaccine. Joe DeSchryver, CEO of the Good Samaritan, said in a statement Tuesday that all appointments for a vaccine for people who are not health professionals or over the age of 65 have been canceled.
“We regret the mistake we made in trying to use all vaccines before they expire,” he wrote.
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Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.