BOISE, Idaho — Southwest District Health will no longer offer COVID-19 vaccines.
Its board made the decision in a 4-3 vote on Tuesday after hours of testimony and heated debate. SWDH serves Canyon, Adams, Gem, Owyhee, Payette and Washington counties. Its board it made up of six county commissioners and one physician representative.
"It was a difficult decision," said Kelly Aberasturi, Owyhee County Commissioner and board chair. "Though I'm ... not real happy with it, I still understand it."
The majority of the board decided to pull the vaccines because of what they are calling "safety concerns." The meeting was contentious, with board members disagreeing about whether carrying the vaccines means the district is endorsing them.
“We are here to protect the public," said Dr. John Tribble, the sole physician representative on the board. "If we have the possibility that we are doing harm, we need to take a step back.”
The board received hundreds of public comments before the meeting asking them to pull the vaccines. Payette County Commissioner Jennifer Riebe worried deciding not to offer the vaccines would create a slippery slope, opening up the possibility of banning the measles vaccine or the shingles vaccine.
"I just don't feel comfortable as a board member making decisions about the quality of the pharmaceuticals and how they are produced," she said. "I don’t think that’s our role.”
SWDH's Medical Director, Dr. Perry Jansen, said the district should continue offering the vaccines, especially considering the district serves as a "safety net" for people who have difficulties affording health care.
He acknowledged there are some risks to the COVID-19 vaccines but said in many cases, the benefits outweigh any potential complications.
"We always have these discussions about personal benefit," he said. "This is not a blind everybody gets the shot. This is a thoughtful approach."
Jansen listed various health agencies and universities that still recommend COVID-19 vaccines, including the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The CDC recommends everyone ages six and older should get the updated vaccine.
Tribble called the CDC's recommendations "patently absurd" and said the vaccines "present much more risk than benefit."
About a half dozen other doctors who testified against the vaccines, some from out-of-state echoed similar sentiments during the meeting. Some are widely accused of spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
"They were never safe; they were never effective," said Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas cardiologist.
Jansen pushed back.
"This is not a consensus opinion that there is no benefit and it's all risk," he said. "It's not a consensus opinion among scientists and medical people."
Aberasturi called the decision "disappointing." He worries it will disproportionately impact lower-income people, since anyone paying out-of-pocket for a COVID-19 vaccine would pay less through the district.
"I'm not a big fan of the shot myself," he said. "I don't think it's effective, but I believe that's between the doctor and patient, not me as a board member."
KTVB talked to former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, Dr. David Pate, about the decision. He also served on the governor's COVID-19 Task Force. He said he was "shocked" the board entertained doctors who are against the vaccine, and said the decision shows some of the board members are not serious about public health.
He said early on in the pandemic, there was some room for doubt. But now, it is a different story.
"The nonsense that the anti-vaxxers presented to this board is now well-established to be disinformation," Pate said. "[This] plays right into anti-vaxx narratives that are unfortunately leading to more distrust of other vaccines, vaccines that we have used for decades."
Last year, a SWDH spokesperson said they vaccinated 209 people with COVID-19 vaccines. This year, they have vaccinated 64 people.
They plan on giving the remaining doses to patients at a skilled nursing facility next week.