Boise sent letters about vaccine eligibility to more than half of its employees
The city of Boise told more than half of its employees that they may be eligible for vaccines for COVID-19.
Of Boise’s approximately 2,000 employees, 1,138 — or about 57% — got letters from the city informing them of their potential eligibility for vaccination. That does not include members of the police department, which has about 400 employees including support staff, or the fire department, which has about 300 employees including support staff.
As the Statesman first reported last week, employees got those letters because their jobs, including work in the public works system, made them essential, either for the type of work they do or because it would put them in close proximity to the public or other employees.
The city has not released what specific jobs made workers eligible for vaccination, but Mayor Lauren McLean said during a news conference Wednesday that she considered people who do background checks on child care workers and those providing services and housing for marginalized communities. A Statesman records request asking for that information remained unfilled as of Thursday.
Being deemed an essential worker allows people to get the vaccine ahead of the general population, as determined by Gov. Brad Little’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee and approved by Little. The first several vaccination priority groups were reserved for the people who most need vaccines, including health care providers and people 65 and older.
There were two types of letters that went out. The first type, which went out Jan. 19 to 114 employees, told employees that their job duties made them eligible. The second, which went out Jan. 29 to 1,024 employees, said they were “essential to the functioning of society.” It was on “Office of the Mayor” letterhead, although it was not signed.
Both included information on local vaccine providers.
It’s not clear how many employees got vaccinated or are scheduled to be. The letters note that getting the vaccine is a personal choice.
A third letter went out from the city Feb. 3, Seth Ogilvie, McLean’s spokesperson, said Wednesday. It noted that city public safety officers, including firefighters and police officers, would be able to get vaccines at Idaho IceWorld through a partnership between the city and the Ada County/City Emergency Services System, or ACCESS.
“In the next few weeks, the clinic will start to make appointments available to other essential front-line government workers and is planning to eventually be able to provide vaccinations to all government workers,” the letter reads.
Ogilvie said Thursday that the clinic gave first doses to government employees and had largely moved on to second doses. He was unable to say which cities may have recommended employees go there or whether Boise employees had gone.
The third letter also asked employees who may have received one of the earlier letters to consider postponing their vaccine appointments to save doses for other residents.
“If you have already made an appointment, it is your choice to keep it or cancel it,” the letter reads, asking people not to just not show up to their scheduled appointments. “If you have already received your first vaccination dose, please continue with that provider for your second dose.”
McLean said Wednesday that the decision to send letters to employees came after conversations with Central District Health, which guides Ada County as well as Boise, Elmore and Valley counties in health choices.
She said she and Russell Duke, the director of Central District Health, talked about who may be considered essential. She had long been advocating to get employees vaccinated to keep the city running, she said, including people who ensure child care workers can be approved to go to work and utility workers who make sure pipes are running as normal.
“It’s these basic services that are often forgotten that impact the ability for so many other people to do their work, too,” she said.
McLean said the city decided to send letters to employees “that are really keeping things running” to let them know they may be eligible. She wanted to encourage people to get vaccinated if they wanted it, she said.
The third letter was not changing stances, Ogilvie said Thursday, but was just asking people to consider whether they wanted to book a vaccine appointment at that time.
When it went out, people across the state eligible for vaccines, particularly those 65 and older, were struggling to book appointments as demand far outpaced supply.
“That was a major reason why we opened up that alternative ACCESS site,” he said, referring to the clinic.
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
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