MaineGeneral Health did not intend to offer ‘privileged access’ to the COVID-19 vaccine, the official said

AUGUSTA – MaineGeneral Health board members remain largely silent in the wake of reports that their pilot COVID-19 vaccine program has given hand-picked donors and former staff members access to vaccinations in front of members of the public, even as several locals sound the alarm that they may come not through the hospital’s appointment system.

Referring to these reports during a Tuesday news conference, dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said questions had been raised about fairness in dealing with vaccines by MaineGeneral.

“I have not had independent discussions with MaineGeneral yet, so I do not have the primary knowledge of the facts,” Shah said. ‘There are so many different ways in which trust is essential in the process going forward. An equal piece of this is confidence in the process. These perceptions of trust and favoritism raise concerns. ”

The Bangor Daily News reported on Sunday that MaineGeneral, which is based in August, offered early vaccination to donors and former staff before offering public registration.

MaineGeneral spokeswoman Joy McKenna told the Kennebec Journal in an interview that the 40 people were part of a “Day in the Life” test of the process and that they had received vaccinations, and that 12 of the 40 donors for the hospital system were. McKenna said no board members were involved with the vaccination clinic and that the “day in the life” process was carried out by all of the hospital’s major projects, starting with the Cancer Center in 2007.

“If we had looked back, we would have done things differently,” McKenna said. “We never intended to give anyone privileged access.”

Jim LaLiberty, chairman of the board of directors of MaineGeneral Health, defended the vaccination clinic by saying it had achieved its goals, by exploring administrative issues and making future clinics work more efficiently. He said that it is a criterion to be a donor to the hospital, and that people are selected on the basis of their ability to ‘give useful feedback’.

“That donors are included reflects the large number of donors and supporters we have and it’s coincidental, nothing more,” LaLiberty said. “MaineGeneral has complied with all applicable federal and state CDC guidelines for the administration of this pilot project, and we are fully committed to a fair and transparent distribution of the vaccine to all eligible, without privilege or favor to anyone. . “

While most of the 17 board members remained silent or did not respond when contacted by the Kennebec Journal this week, Barbara Mayer said the questions about equity do not put the organization in ‘the best light’.

The philanthropic director of the hospital allegedly emphasized the perception of privileged access, contacting one of the previous donors about participating in the vaccination clinic because of their previous support.

“Maybe it was not such a good idea to have the philanthropy department,” Mayer said. “I would be surprised if anyone thinks it was.”

Meanwhile, several local senior citizens have told the Kennebec Journal over the past few days that they have struggled to make a COVID-19 vaccination appointment successful through the MaineGeneral program. Some residents reported that they brought more than 100 calls to the vaccination hotline and were delayed for hours.

Mayer said she spoke to hospital chief Chuck Hays about the vaccine and he asked her if she was interested in receiving it.

“My husband is quite elderly,” said the 75-year-old Mayer. ‘I did have a conversation (with Hays) in which (he) asked if I was interested because of my husband’s age. (I do not know) whether it was due to our age and situation or due to my membership in the board. ”

McKenna said MaineGeneral has contacted ’40 people connected to the organization – former employees, former volunteers and others who meet the criteria of 70 years or older, many of whom are familiar with the ‘Day in the Life’ exercise we do. did – to help us see if our planning persists in practice. “All participants complied with CDC guidelines,” she said.

Mayer said she was eventually vaccinated by the Northern Light system in Bangor and that her husband was vaccinated by the veteran’s medical system. Mayer said the system ranked patients at the VA based on their susceptibility to serious complications associated with COVID-19, rather than being a dial-up registration with limited slots.

Despite her conversation with Hays, Mayer said there was never any indication during board meetings that members would receive the vaccine.

Mayer said the hospital has a history of careful planning for new programs, and picking those who were close to the hospital could give officials better feedback on the process. She said she would be “very, very worried” if people who made donations could get to the start of the line for public vaccination clinics, which she said should be distinguished from the 40-person test.

Mayer said she would be curious to see how CEOs of other hospital systems respond to requests from donors to have access to the vaccines.

“It’s chaotic across the country, and I don’t think Maine is an exception,” she said. “I think it’s chaotic and difficult.”

McKenna said the hospital understands that ‘people are disappointed with the way we conducted the community vaccination system test’ and feel ‘terrible about it’.

But ‘we have received feedback from this group that we need some extra moving signs,’ McKenna said, referring to the clinic of selected participants. ‘We also found some paper issues and realized how to minimize the problems. We specifically selected people who can look with a critical eye and give feedback on how we can improve our processes. ”

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