Pierce County Council To Vote On Proposal To Dissolve Health Dept

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — The Pierce County Council will be voting on a proposal in late December to dissolve the current Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and replace it with a county-only department.

If it passes, it would mean a dramatic and potentially difficult restructuring of a health agency right in the middle of the state's worst-yet COVID-19 outbreak— and the mere fact that it is under consideration at this time has many critics crying foul. Supporters, on the other hand, claim the move is urgent and necessary to give the county greater leverage in deciding public health guidance.

How public health would change

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is structured differently from many health departments. Unlike most other county health jurisdictions, it is jointly run by Pierce County and the city of Tacoma. As it is, the TPCHD is led by a board of health with members from both Tacoma City Council, the Pierce County Council, the Pierce County Medical Society and representatives from other towns, like Buckley Mayor Patricia Johnson and Auburn City Council Member Robert Baggett.

If Proposed Ordinance No. 2020-136 passes, that would no longer be the case. The current health department would be dissolved, replaced by one with all 7 members of the Pierce County Council on the board of health, and cutting ties with the City of Tacoma. As TPCHD points out, this would also cost them the $1.17 million Tacoma contributes annually to health department support programs. The department's total budget is just over $79 million.

Supporters of the proposal, including sponsor and Pierce County Council Member Pam Roach, say it would give smaller communities greater voices in determining public health guidance, and argue that the current setup allows Tacoma too much power.

“Under the system of the county council, being the board, every citizen will have equal access is much better for open government, which is something I have fostered over the last 30 years,” Roach told KING 5 News. "Everybody in the county should have equal ability to have themselves represented on the board of health. That does not exist today."

Responses to the proposal.

State Secretary of Health John Wiesman spoke on the issue earlier in the week, noting that the move was within Pierce County's power, and up to the county's judgment.

"Certainly these are local decisions," Wiesman said. "The way the law is structured is for counties to be able to determine who and how they organize their local health departments."

Wiesman did caution against the move, asking instead that leaders seek community input and warning that a rushed decision could have consequences.

"Any time a group wants to make this move it has to be carefully considered and examined for what both the advantages are, and what the disadvantages are, maybe the unintended consequences," he said.

While Roach's proposal has garnered support from some, including fellow Council Member Doug Richardson, many critics are questioning why the decision is being made now, some even accusing Roach, a Republican, of launching a partisan attack on public health just weeks before her term ends and the council flips to a Democratic majority.

Derek Young, Pierce County Council's Vice-Chair and a member of the Board of Health took to Twitter, calling the move the "stupidest idea" he'd ever seen.

Roach later fired back calling Young a "rabidly liberal" council member.

Young however, is far from the only critic challenging Roach's proposal.

In an editorial for the Tacoma News Tribune, columnist Matt Driscoll called the move "an attempted public health coup" and noted that Roach has long been at odds with Director of Health Anthony L-T Chen over pandemic guidelines, and that her move appears to be an "erratic" or spiteful stab at Chen during her last few weeks in power. The vote will come just two weeks before Roach and Richardson leave the council.

Chen, while not placing blame directly on Roach or other supporters of the proposal, has also pushed back. Earlier this week, he issued a statement saying he was "surprised to learn of the resolution," defending the work his department has done to contain the pandemic, and echoing others concerns that this move was ultimately a distraction from real issues.

"In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic our focus needs to remain on bringing the disease under control, and now, distributing vaccine to the community. As a small government agency, we are nimble and agile," Chen said. "We are a neutral convener, and, especially during COVID-19, we have worked quickly with many partners throughout the county to serve all residents of Pierce County. The Health Department needs to focus all of its attention on ending COVID-19 in Pierce County. Efforts that divide our attention from this critical public health response are an unfortunate distraction."

Roach, for her part, posted several tweets this week criticizing Chen's early handling of the pandemic.

Like Chen, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards says she was blindsided by the proposal, calling on the council to table or postpone the restructuring. Woodards and District 4 Council Member Catherine Ushka issued a joint statement reading in part:

"The City of Tacoma was not consulted as a stakeholder and partner in this policy move, nor were any other cities or towns in Pierce County. Fast-tracking the dissolution of our community’s public health authority during the current public health and economic crisis does a disservice to our constituents. We call upon our County Council colleagues to pause their deliberations and engage with stakeholders before making any drastic decisions that could result in negative impacts on public health."

Finally, the Washington State Medical Association, which represents 11,000 health care workers across Washington, also issued a statement backing Chen and the TPCHD, accusing Roach of making a needless political attack on health care workers and distracting from the real issue of the COVID-19 pandemic:

"This action, contemplated during a public health state of emergency, is deeply concerning and part of a pattern we’ve seen across the state and the country, where public health professionals are becoming embroiled in differences of political opinion. Such actions distract public health officials from focusing their attention on the most significant health care crisis facing our communities. Public health professionals, physicians, nurses and other medical professionals have been on the frontlines of the worst pandemic in more than a century, with many of them experiencing intense political pressure and personal attacks."

The Pierce County Council will vote on the ordinance on December 15. Until then, county residents who want to weigh in themselves can submit public comment by visiting Pierce County's website.