A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board.
Southwest District Health appears to be the first in the nation to be restricted from giving COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinations are an essential function of a public health department.
While policymakers in Texas banned health departments from and Florida's bucked medical consensus to recommend against the vaccine, governmental bodies across the country outright.
鈥淚'm not aware of anything else like this,鈥� said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She said health departments have stopped offering the vaccine because of cost or low demand, but not based on 鈥渁 judgment of the medical product itself.鈥�
The six-county district along the Idaho-Oregon border includes three counties in the Boise metropolitan area. Demand for in the health district has declined 鈥� with 8,102 given in 2021 to 93 so far in 2024. The same is true for other vaccines: Idaho has , and last year, the to contain a rare measles outbreak that sickened 10.
On Oct. 22, the health department鈥檚 board voted 4-3 in favor of the ban 鈥� despite Southwest's medical director testifying to the vaccine's necessity.
鈥淥ur 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,鈥� Dr. Perry Jansen 鈥淭his is not a blind, everybody-gets-a-shot approach. This is a thoughtful approach.鈥�
Opposite Jansen's plea were more than 290 public comments, many of which called for an end to vaccine mandates or taxpayer funding of the vaccines, neither of which are happening in the district. At the meeting, many people who spoke are nationally known for making the rounds to testify against COVID vaccines, including , a Texas cardiologist who sells 鈥渃ontagion emergency kits鈥� that include 鈥� drugs that have and can have dangerous side effects.
Board Chairman Kelly Aberasturi was familiar with many of the voices who wanted the ban, especially from earlier local protests of pandemic measures.
Aberasturi, who told The Associated Press that he's skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines and national public health leaders, said in the meeting and in an interview with the AP that he was supportive of but 鈥渄isappointed鈥� in the board's decision.
He said the board had overstepped the relationship between patients and their doctors 鈥� and possibly opened a door to blocking other vaccines or treatments.
Board members in favor of the decision argued people can get vaccinated elsewhere, and that providing the shots was equivalent to signing off on their safety. (Some people may be reluctant to get vaccinated or boosted because of misinformation about the shots despite evidence that they鈥檙e safe and .)
The people getting vaccinated at the health department 鈥� including people without housing, people who are homebound and those in long-term care facilities or in the immigration process 鈥� had no other options, Jansen and Aberasturi said.
鈥淚鈥檝e been homeless in my lifetime, so I understand how difficult it can be when you鈥檙e ... trying to get by and get ahead,鈥� Aberasturi said. 鈥淭his is where we should be stepping in and helping.
"But we have some board members who have never been there, so they don鈥檛 understand what it鈥檚 like.鈥�
State health officials have said that they 鈥渞ecommend that people consider the COVID-19 vaccine.鈥� Idaho health department spokesperson AJ McWhorter declined to comment on 鈥減ublic health district business,鈥� but noted that COVID-19 vaccines are still available at community health centers for people who are uninsured.
Aberasturi said he plans to ask at the next board meeting if the health department can at least be allowed to vaccinate older patients and residents of long-term care facilities, adding that the board is supposed to be caring for the 鈥渉ealth and well-being鈥� of the district's residents. "But I believe the way we went about this thing is we didn't do that due diligence.鈥�
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This story has been corrected to show that The Associated Press, citing Southwest District Health statistics, erroneously reported the number of COVID-19 vaccines the district provided in 2021 and 2024. The count was 8,102, not 1,601, in 2021, and 93, not 64, in 2024.
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Devi Shastri, The Associated Press
