LETTER

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Legislators Tell Wisconsin Department of Health Services to "get out of the way"

Marklein, Tranel, Kurtz and Novak say local hospitals are sitting on hundreds of vaccines because DHS’s ridiculous rules are holding them back.
 

Madison, WI – Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Rep. Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City), Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Rep. Todd Novak (Dodgeville) sent a letter to Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm today to tell her to “get out of the way” of local hospitals who have vaccines they want to administer.
 
“The current status of the Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Program is unacceptable. We are 40th in the country for distribution and you are holding back our local healthcare providers who are trying to save lives!” the legislators wrote.
 
“You have had months to design a vaccine distribution plan that would deploy vaccines quickly and efficiently. You have all of the tools and money you need at your disposal. Multiple entities have offered to help you distribute the vaccine! Our hospitals can do this for you, if you let them.  Get out of the way!”
 
Marklein, Tranel, Kurtz and Novak have all heard from local hospitals who have received hundreds of vaccines. They have all completed their 1A phase of vaccinations to cover their hospital staff and they are ready to move into 1B and beyond.  However, DHS has told them that they will be “sanctioned” if they take the next step.
 
The DHS website says: As a state, we will progress to Phase 1b only when a critical mass of those included in the first phase have been vaccinated. While some counties, cities, or hospitals have made good progress vaccinating their Phase 1a recipients because their demand and delivery system has been strong – as a state, we do not yet have adequate supply to move on to the next phase.
 
“What is critical mass?  Why are you putting peoples’ lives at risk for an arbitrary number?” wrote the legislators. “Let our local healthcare providers save lives. Stop micro-managing our hospitals, providers and public health departments.  We should be vaccinating everyone who wants a vaccine as fast as we can.  No vaccines should be sitting in storage while we have people who need them.
 
What are you waiting for?”