It’s time to call out Gov. Dunleavy and Mayor Bronson for their COVID-19 negligence

This column was adapted from an episode of Andrew Halcro’s podcast, “With All Due Respect.”

The current events of COVID-19 have become so overwhelming. It is time to call out Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Mayor Dave Bronson for their negligent response to a dire public health crisis that is killing Alaskans. Alaska’s public health system is on fire while both Gov. Dunleavy and Mayor Bronson fiddle.

Last week, Alaska ranked as the state with the third-highest increase in hospitalizations over the past two weeks, behind Louisiana and Alabama. There were 170 people hospitalized with the virus around the state — higher than at any other point in the pandemic.

Soldotna’s Central Peninsula Hospital had an intensive care unit filled entirely with COVID-19 patients. The hospital is operating at 112% capacity, with 55 patients for 49 beds.

Hospital administrators across the state have described an unprecedented strain on the state’s health care system that shows no signs of abating. Alaska’s largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center, has operated with its adult inpatient beds at capacity for the last few weeks, and nearly all of its ICU beds are consistently full.

Last week, during a House Health and Social Services committee meeting on the pandemic, you could hear the strain on health care professionals, who have been watching their front lines of very short staffs pushed way past the point of exhaustion with no reprieve in sight. ”We’re seeing more serious conditions demanding more serious care at a time there is no capacity,” said Preston Simmons, CEO of Providence Alaska.

So why are there more serious cases with this delta variant? Because two out of three Alaska adults have underlying health conditions that increase their chances of serious illness from COVID-19. Two out of three of those who refuse the vaccine for whatever reason are at risk for serious illness due to underlying health conditions. And here they are showing up in emergency rooms.

The governor, who is doing little or nothing to help advocate for vaccinations, is ignoring warnings from his own Department of Health, and now here we are. Providence CEO Simmons described the emergency room overcrowding: up to four-hour waits and ER waiting rooms so overcrowded they’ve been forced to require patients to wait in their vehicles in the parking lot. This is Alaska’s largest hospital, and its ER has been forced to operate like some 21st century MASH unit, performing carhop triage.

Alaska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, echoed the voices of Alaska’s health care providers: “I never wanted to see our hospitals where they are right now, and it’s not a good place.” Last week she told a group of school administrators, ”This honestly, for me, is the worst point in the pandemic, where we’re at right now.”

So what is Gov. Dunleavy doing, as the leader of a state that ranks 34th for vaccinations, where hospital officials are pleading for help, and whose chief medical officer is ringing the pandemic alarm bells?

He has the Legislature holed up in Juneau working on his ideas. Last week, Gov. Dunleavy asked the Legislature to restore $1.25 million in funds for the state’s public health nursing program that he vetoed just two months ago. Alaska’s Public Health Nursing program has been an important component of the state’s response to the pandemic. Traditionally, the program is responsible for everything from well-child exams and WIC exams to sexually transmitted infection services. For the past year, those critical services have been either put on hold or severely limited. They originally argued that without funding, they’d suffer further decline in all non-pandemic response services. But two months ago, the governor said he’d get the cash somewhere else, so he vetoed the $1.25 million. Now he wants a do-over, saying the situation with the pandemic response was much different than it is now with the delta variant.

Since the governor has recognized new events with the pandemic, and since the governor’s chief medical officer has stated this is the worst it’s ever been: Gov. Dunleavy, how about an emergency disaster declaration?

Until five months ago, Alaska, along with many other states, operated under an emergency declaration. Under that status, paperwork, regulations, people and processing all go quicker to solve problems and offer care. An emergency order is just that — it relays an official order recognizing the urgency of the situation and limiting the amount of bureaucracy involved. On April 30, Gov. Dunleavy declared that Alaska had been successful in keeping infections, hospitalizations and death rates low, and he was rescinding the emergency order. Dunleavy said “Alaska is in the recovery phase, where an emergency declaration is no longer necessary.”

When Dunleavy announced this, about 50% of Alaskans 16 and older had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot. At the time, Alaska was among the top vaccinated states in America. Now we’re 34th.

The situation was best voiced by Jared Kosin, CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, who testified to lawmakers last week: “Our world is on fire and we need help. All we want is support and we want it now.” When he was asked by committee members if an emergency declaration would help, he replied emphatically: Yes.

The very next day, Dunleavy sent a letter to Senate President Peter Micciche, writing, “Some groups want me to declare a disaster, but I’m not going to do that.” He went on to write that his way was best.

Five months ago, Dunleavy assured Alaskans if the pandemic got worse, he would declare another disaster declaration. Today, the pandemic is the worst it’s ever been, yet the governor is whistling while he walks past a health care system at its breaking point. Gov. Dunleavy is playing politics with Alaska’s public health.

A disaster declaration would go against the heart and soul of his base, who believe COVID is a conspiracy more than they believe it’s an emergency. It would show to everyone that his prior claims that his COVID response was “mission accomplished” was a mission failed. Running for reelection next year, Dunleavy doesn’t want to fall out of standing with other GOP governors who ignored science as well while their constituents continued to die.

But there’s more: One of the bills he introduced recently as a response to the virus was a bill that allowed telemedicine to be better utilized. But these exact same provisions were automatically included in the prior disaster declaration, and would be automatically reactivated with another declaration. Gov. Dunleavy could improve telemedicine during a pandemic immediately by simply signing a piece of paper. But no: In order to avoid issuing a disaster declaration that would ruin his political narrative, his choice is to propose easing health care regulations during a pandemic by filing formal legislation that must go through the entire legislative process.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Mayor Dave Bronson could take proper steps to help stem the tide — simple, basic, proper steps any leader would take when their residents are getting sick, hospitals are overflowing into the parking lot and health care professionals are pleading desperately for help. They could act like responsible leaders and caring human beings. They could both recognize the problem talk about it — encourage mask-wearing, encourage vaccinations, suggest measures to restrain the problem. Or hell, at least offer recognition and support to Alaska’s health care workers who are cleaning up a deadly mess that both of them are exacerbating.

In the words of Dr. Anne Zink, “We really need every Alaskan to help us pull forward to protect each other.” Let’s face it: She’s right. The only thing Alaskans have to protect us is each other. Because it’s clear, during this crisis, Gov. Dunleavy and Mayor Bronson won’t be protecting anything but their political brands.

Stay safe, everyone.

Andrew Halcro is a past executive director of the Anchorage Community Development Authority. He is a former state representative and past president of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

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