How many Boise city employees are fully vaccinated? Fewer than you’d think. What we know
Since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year, Boise city leaders have continuously touted its efficacy in fighting the deadly virus. Boiseans have largely heeded the call to vaccinate, with around 65% of those eligible getting the jab, according to city figures.
However, one segment of the population has been much more hesitant to get the vaccine: the city of Boise’s 1,700 employees.
So far, only about 46% of Boise’s non-public safety employees are fully vaccinated, lower than state or city averages, Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said in an Aug. 24 presentation to the Boise City Council. That percentage includes dependents on employee health care plans; the city has about 1,200 full-time non-public safety employees, according to a spokesperson.
“It goes along with what we see in just the general population,” Niemeyer said in a phone interview.
Among those working for the police and fire departments, the vaccination rate is about 65%, which does not include family dependents, Niemeyer said.
That’s compared with an average of 65% fully vaccinated among Boise city residents, according to the city, and 55% among all Idahoans, according to the Department of Health and Welfare. Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.
City leaders say they don’t know why so many employees have opted not to get the shot, as COVID-19 cases have surged in Boise and across the state. State health officials announced Tuesday that North Idaho would begin crisis standards of care in an effort to aid hospitals overwhelmed with patients.
“I honestly have no idea,” Council Member Holli Woodings said in a phone interview. “I’ve been trying to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, but for whatever reason that message isn’t getting to our own employees.”
Mayor Lauren McLean said it could be because many of the city’s employees live elsewhere in the Treasure Valley, where vaccination rates are much lower. State data show Ada County has a vaccination rate of 65%, but Canyon County’s rate is 48%. Such neighboring counties as Owyhee and Elmore have rates lower than 40%.
McLean has been a vocal advocate for wearing masks and receiving the vaccine throughout much of the pandemic. Following a surge in local cases, she announced in July that masks would be required inside all city facilities regardless of vaccination status, a decision she said was made after reviewing vaccination rates by ZIP code.
“We did that early to ensure that it didn’t spread amongst employees and between the public and employees,” McLean said in an interview.
But McLean and the city have stopped short of requiring employees to get vaccinated, instead encouraging employees to vaccinate themselves. Human Resources Director Sarah Borden told the Statesman on Tuesday that the city is not planning to mandate vaccines.
Some cities, including Denver and New York, have required employees to get vaccinated, and some Treasure Valley businesses have done the same.
For now, though, Boise officials are encouraging employees to get vaccinated. The city is offering $100 incentives to those who have received the shot after June 8, in a program funded by the federal government. Thirty-five employees have taken advantage so far, Borden said in a Tuesday interview.
Councilor Lisa Sanchez and Woodings said they were concerned by the low rates but undecided about mandates.
“I would have to think about that,” Sanchez said in an interview. “It just doesn’t feel like this kind of life that we’re all leading — this fear-ridden, anxiety-ridden life — is what we want to move forward with.”
Woodings said she was concerned about the potential impact on the Boise Municipal Health Care Trust, a self-funded health insurance program for employees, if a large number of workers become infected.
“We would have to look at the impact on city operations and what that is looking like for our bottom line,” she said. “Those are all things that I consider when I look at the arguments for and against.”
It’s unclear if incentives will convince a large portion of non-vaccinated employees to get the jab. Niemeyer said for some employees, there’s nothing they can do to change some people’s minds.
“There’s going to be some people that will never get it,” he said. “But I think there’s also others that have been really on the fence.”
Data on employee vaccination rates was provided by the city’s health care trust, which did not break down vaccination status on an individual level.
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 11:28 AM.
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