Columbia and WW County commissioners, health officials worry emergency response exodus

COLUMBIA, WALLA WALLA COUNTY—A letter shared online by Walla Walla County Commissioner Jenny Mayberry on Monday, August 30, expressed that local health officials are concerned about a potential employee and volunteer exodus over vaccine mandates.

On August 9, Governor Jay Inslee announced a mandate that required all healthcare providers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021, or be terminated from their position. The mandate includes all professional firefighters, volunteer firefighters, emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, the August 9 mandate requires proof of vaccination with a verified document, not a verbal confirmation. Authorities, including law enforcement, Labor and Industries, Social and Health services, and health departments, may request proof of vaccination. All included employees and volunteers must receive their single-dose shot, or the second dose of two-part vaccinations, by October 4. If healthcare workers are not fully vaccinated by October 18, it will be illegal to allow them to continue working.

The letter, which was shared on Commissioner Mayberry's Facebook page, was sent to both Walla Walla and Columbia County Commissioners on August 31. Sent by Lewis Neace, Medical Program Director for both counties, the letter said that health officials had reached out to impacted agencies with an informal survey, including fire and ambulance services. Some agencies reported they could experience as much as a fifty percent reduction in staffing levels.

“With an anticipated loss of this nature, it will be difficult to avoid an impact on county residents,” the letter reads. “Residents could experience delays in response times, pre-hospital treatment, and transport to definitive care. Time is extremely important in emergency situations, and the consequences of delayed response and care could be significant, possibly resulting in negative outcomes.”

According to the letter, officials are conservatively estimating a twenty percent reduction in staffing per county, as the mandate does allow limited exemptions.

“While twenty percent may not sound like a substantial percentage when you consider both counties have limited EMS transport agencies and a large volunteer base, we have serious concerns for our ability to maintain the current EMS systems,” the letter said.

The letter encouraged all addressed officials to share their concerns with the legislative body and ask that they ‘consider the ramifications that EMS systems are facing.’