A regional health department in Idaho overseeing six counties appears to be the first across the U.S. to cease to provide COVID-19 vaccines, according to Boise State Public Radio (BSPR).
The board of Southwest District Health (SDH) voted 4-3 on Oct. 22, 2024 to remove the vaccines from its offices after receiving around 300 public comments against the vaccines and anti-vaccine presentations from several doctors, Boise State Public Radio reported.
The decision appears to be a nationwide first. “I’m not aware of anything else like this,” Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told The Associated Press (AP).
Dr. Perry Jansen, a district staff physician and medical director, did not support the decision. “We really serve as a safety net provider for people who can’t get health care in any other way, largely because of finances,” Jansen told the board in his pre-voting presentation, according to BSPR. “We’re able to offer free and discounted services for people who don’t have access through private care.”
“Our request of the board is that we would be able to carry and offer those [vaccines], recognizing that we always have these discussions of risks and benefits,” Jansen added, according to AP. “This is not a blind, everybody-gets-a-shot approach. This is a thoughtful approach.”
GOOD!!