Legislature(2019 - 2020)BETHEL
10/20/2020 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Covid-19 in Alaska: an Update on Local & State Pandemic Response | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
Bethel, Alaska
October 20, 2020
3:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Chair
Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Vice Chair (via teleconference)
Representative Matt Claman (via teleconference)
Representative Harriet Drummond (via teleconference)
Representative Geran Tarr (via teleconference)
Representative Sharon Jackson (via teleconference)
Representative Lance Pruitt (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson (via teleconference)
Representative Sara Hannan (via teleconference)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (via teleconference)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 IN ALASKA: AN UPDATE ON LOCAL & STATE
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JANET JOHNSTON, MD, Epidemiologist
Anchorage Health Department
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
CHRISTY LAWTON, Public Health Division Manager
Anchorage Health Department
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
TOM HENNESSY, MD, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist
University of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
TOM QUIMBY, MD, Emergency Physician
Matanuska-Susitna Regional Medical Center
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
JAKE METCALFE, Executive Director
Alaska State Employees Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
JARED KOSIN, President and CEO
Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
ELLEN HODGES, MD, Chief of Staff
Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
ROBERT ONDERS, MD, Interim Hospital Administrator
Alaska Native Medical Center
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 in Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:05:20 PM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKY called the House Health and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:05 p.m.
Representatives Jackson (via teleconference), Tarr (via
teleconference), Drummond (via teleconference), Spohnholz (via
teleconference), Claman (via teleconference) and Zulkosky were
present at the call to order. Representative Pruitt (via
teleconference) arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 in Alaska: An Update on Local &
State Pandemic Response
PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 in Alaska: An Update on Local & State
Pandemic Response
3:06:00 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on COVID-19 in Alaska; an update on the local
and state pandemic response.
3:08:46 PM
JANET JOHNSTON, MD, Epidemiologist, Anchorage Health Department,
reported regarding the COVID-19 pandemic Anchorage had just
topped 6,000 resident cases with an approximate 95 new cases per
day. These numbers compared to an average of 40 new cases per
day in mid-September, she noted. Hospitalizations were a
lagging indicator, tending to go up after the cases, she pointed
out, so Anchorage was just starting to show an increase in
hospitalizations over the past week. She also noted that
because nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities can still
care for some of the sicker COVID patients, hospitalization
counts are not always the most accurate reflection. Over the
summer Anchorage saw cases increase steadily during June and
July, and the hospitalizations increase in July and August.
Daily case counts came down in August and early September,
followed by a decline in hospitalizations in late September and
a plateauing in early October.
DR. JOHNSTON said given the previous trends she expected
hospitalizations to continue increasing over the next few weeks,
or longer, depending on the case counts. With hospital bed
space already tight and possible difficulties recruiting help
from outside Alaska, she worried about case counts increasing,
she imparted. Deaths were also a lagging indicator, she said:
In August, the death count in Anchorage was 41, the highest
month, followed by September and July. Given previous trends
she was worried about increases over the next few weeks, she
said.
DR. JOHNSTON stated that in terms of demographics, the race data
was incomplete and there were probably some patterns in the way
in which it was missing, Dr. Johnston noted, but even when that
was taken into consideration it was clear that Alaska Native
people made up too many cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
When population was considered, almost 20 percent of cases have
been among Alaska Native or American Indian people, whereas they
make up only about 10 percent of the population of the Anchorage
population. At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 when
Anchorage had a very small number of cases, the race
distribution was similar to the population distribution, but
over time this has shifted, she imparted, with Alaska Native
people and Hawaiian Pacific Islander people being particularly
hard-hit. Together these two groups represent 46 percent of
hospitalizations and 42 percent of the deaths, but again only
about 10 percent of the population. The bulk of the infections
are among younger, working age people ages 20-49, she added, and
the most obvious adverse outcomes are among older people.
DR. JOHNSTON continued by saying people ages 20-49 are probably
most likely to be out in the community spreading the virus and
are also experiencing the financial impact to a high degree with
all the quarantining and isolating, but the older population
have higher numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. In some
cases, it has been difficult to convince the younger population
of the importance of isolating and quarantining in order to
protect the more vulnerable members of the population.
3:12:44 PM
CHRISTY LAWTON, Manager, Public Health Division, Anchorage
Health Department, Municipality of Anchorage, stated there have
been significant improvements over the last couple of months
since the implementation of the database CommCare, which has
allowed the statewide contact tracing workforce to share
information, collaborate, and respond to an increasing number of
cases. The goal is that each new case is investigated by a
contact tracer within 24 hours. In terms of what the contact
tracers have seen, Ms. Lawton shared there is some fatigue in
terms of following recommendations. She shared an example
anecdotally of a close contact reached via telephone of someone
who had recently tested positive. When the contact was
instructed to quarantine, he/she let the tracer know he/she
would do so only after finishing a lunch date with friends.
MS. LAWTON suggested it is not only this resistance but also
folks who have difficulty quarantining or isolating for
financial reasons, that does not help in terms of slowing the
spread of the virus. She added that a concerning recent trend
is people not getting tested because they know they will not be
able to go to work if they test positive. She mentioned
outbreaks in congregate care settings and among the unsheltered
population, the virus being carried to the former by
unsuspecting, asymptomatic employees, and cases among the latter
trending downward. She went on to say case numbers were rising
due in part not only to exposure within congregate care
facilities, but also within family gatherings, sports, retail
businesses, churches, and the like.
3:18:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked after the department's thoughts
about sending kids back to school in November after taking into
consideration rising COVID numbers.
3:19:20 PM
DR. JOHNSTON replied numbers were higher than they would like,
but there being so many negatives as well to kids not being in
school, unfortunately there were not a lot of good choices. She
said that schools around the country have been able to bring
kids back "relatively safely" by starting with the youngest kids
first.
3:20:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON asked whether the department was finding
contact tracing effective and what, if anything, the committee
could do to help.
3:21:17 PM
MS. LAWTON replied it was only effective if contacts could be
alerted within the amount of time their behavior could be
altered, but with widespread community spread it is just harder.
She added that the legislature could help by spreading the
message to the public to follow health recommendations, no
matter how tedious those recommendations might seem. She added
financial incentives and advocacy at other levels of government
may also help.
3:23:49 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY restated the presentation agenda for
Representative Hannan, Representative Pruitt, and Senator
Jackson, who joined late.
3:24:42 PM
TOM HENNESSY, MD, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, University
of Alaska, stated that current research on COVID-19 showed
community transmission was occurring widely throughout Alaska as
daily case counts have been in the triple digits for more than a
month, and more Alaskans have COVID-19 than ever before. One of
the primary concerns, he stated, is the ability of the virus to
spread very quickly and for infected persons to overwhelm the
health care system. This has been the case since early in the
pandemic, even in places with extensive and modern health care
capacities such as New York City and Italy, he added, with
doctors even in these places having to make choices regarding
which patients would receive intensive care unit (ICU) care and
which would not.
DR. HENNESSY stated that preserving the health care capacity has
been a primary goal in Alaska and something that has been
watched closely since the spring of 2020. One tool used to keep
close watch is called the COVID surge tool, which was developed
by the CDC and uses local data to make projections about future
hospital beds needed to care for COVID patients. The inputs, he
explained, included the population of Anchorage, the total
number of COVID cases, and those that have occurred in the last
two weeks. Available adult hospital beds, ICU beds, and
ventilators were also included, he added. Local information on
proportionate cases needing hospitalization, ICU care, and
ventilators was used as input as well, he stated. Driving the
projections was the current reproductive number, he explained,
which was a measure of how many additional people, on average,
each person with COVID-19 would infect. This changes over time
depending how people follow public health recommendations, he
said.
DR. HENNESSY imparted early in the pandemic the reproductive
number in Alaska was approximately 2.5, meaning each infected
person infected two or three others. The current estimate used
was 1.1, he stated, his models ranging from 1 to 1.3. Some of
the current assumptions were that hospital bed use for non-COVID
patients was stable and that COVID-19 cases occurring elsewhere
in Alaska were not being transferred to beds in Anchorage. In
this way the forecast is optimistic and it's conservative, he
said. Based on data through October 19, and assuming current
rates of transmission are stable, the model predicts the
hospital bed, ICU and ventilator capacity in Anchorage will not
be exceeded. Because the reproductive number is above one, case
counts will continue to rise and hospitalizations for COVID-19
will increase, but this increase is projected to be within
current capacity.
DR. HENNESSY went on to say that while this projection is
encouraging, the situation regarding capacity and COVID-19 is
precarious. If there were to be an increase in levels of
transmission, a shortage of healthcare workers due to illness,
an increase in non-COVID related hospitalizations, or surges in
hospitals elsewhere that would require transfers to Anchorage.
The model does predict ICU capacity would be exceeded by mid-
December, he stated, if transmission increased by just 10
percent in Anchorage. This would bring the number in Anchorage
up to 1.2, which is what was experienced throughout the month of
July. If transmission increased by 20 percent, the levels that
were seen around Memorial Day, ICU capacity is predicted to be
exceeded by late November.
DR. HENNESSY added the surge in Alaska could be reversed with
just a 10 percent decrease in transmission. He stated, "By
bringing the reproductive number below 1, we could bring down
daily case counts, ... ensure protection of health care
capacity, and save lives. And we've already shown that we can
decrease transmission in Alaska; Alaskans have changed out
behavior, and many of us have adopted practices such as wearing
a mask, watching our physical distancing, and washing our
hands." He mentioned that actions such as shelter in place and
hunker down reduced transmission by up to 60 percent. In
Anchorage, the mask mandate in late June was followed by a
decrease in transmission by 15 percent in two weeks, he stated,
and the month-long reset beginning in July was followed by a
decrease of 30 percent.
3:30:35 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked Dr. Hennessy to speak to "pandemic fatigue"
around the country and the world, and specifically which health
measures, from an epidemiological point of view, would be the
most effective measures to decrease the recent influx of cases
in Alaska.
3:31:42 PM
DR. HENNESSY reiterated that transmission could be decreased, as
has already been seen done in Anchorage, by folks social
distancing, hand washing, and wearing face masks in public. He
suggested closing businesses or other economically challenging
options if larger decreases were needed faster. Also, with
statewide mask orders in 33 states, that policy is worth
pursuing, he added, and sets a standard for folks to follow.
The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has been
clear on mask use, and Alaska could also go this route, he
suggested.
3:34:11 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked for questions from committee members.
3:34:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked Dr. Hennessy his thoughts on
returning kids to school indoors, which would mean roughly
10,000 students and staff.
3:35:12 PM
DR. HENNESSY replied he has not been in contact with the
Anchorage School District on the issue but, having followed it
closely himself, has learned the risk to youngest children,
especially under age 10, is lowest. He mentioned that many
countries worldwide have sent young children back to school
successfully.
3:36:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked Dr. Hennessy's thoughts on
teachers in the higher-risk category and those they could
potentially infect at home.
3:37:00 PM
DR. HENNESSY replied teachers and staff members becoming
affected could be mitigated by public health recommendations
already brought forth. He also acknowledged that the return to
in-person classes would not be risk free and individuals would
have to assess on a personal level based on their own health
issues.
3:38:42 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked, in terms of bringing down the reproductive
number and the widespread community-based transmission in
Alaska, whether it was the right time to be relaxing travel
mandates and other protective measures which were implemented
early in the pandemic.
3:39:39 PM
DR. HENNESSY replied that by taking the courageous step only few
other states have done by putting travel mandates in place
Alaska did create a safer environment, and relaxation of those
mandates is indeed a small step backwards; however, most
transmission is community-based and not imported, so the changes
to the travel mandates may not make a big difference overall.
Travel restrictions in-state, and especially travel to rural
communities, can make a big difference, he put forth.
3:41:40 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked whether Dr. Hennessy felt gains could be
made through another shelter in place or hunker down, especially
in those places where there is widespread community
transmission.
3:42:25 PM
DR. HENNESSY replied the mandates put in place in March 2020
slowed transmission but came with a high degree of cost, and it
was uncertain whether a repetition of the mitigations would have
the same effect: in places where they have been instated a
second or third time they have typically not been as effective
because people have already adapted and altered their behavior.
Much of Alaska doesn't need as much transmission reduction as
the 30 percent that was needed in Anchorage to get the curve
bent the other direction, he added; a decrease of 10 or 15
percent would have an effect and reverse the course of the
pandemic.
3:44:39 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked whether more stringent public health
messaging about limiting social gatherings could be effective.
3:45:23 PM
DR. HENNESSY encouraged actively engaging the public with
additional and consistent messaging to urge the population to
take mitigation measures into practice and stated that the part
of the population that continued to mix must be made aware they
were causing harm to society overall: to schools, to elders,
and to the economy.
3:47:29 PM
TOM QUIMBY, MD, Emergency Physician, Matanuska-Susitna Regional
Medical Center, informed the committee that Alaskan physicians
are much better situated for a surge at present than they would
have been six months ago and expressed gratitude for the
personal protective equipment (PPE) that has been made readily
available. Time has also allowed for education on how to treat
those who became seriously ill with COVID-19. This said, Alaska
is especially vulnerable to a strain on its health care system,
he noted, referencing an ICU crisis in Anchorage which
necessitated the transfer of patients out of Alaska. There is
also difficulty finding adequate hospital staff, especially
nurses, he added.
DR. QUIMBY informed the committee 299,028 deaths occurred
between late January and October 3, 2020, with 198,091 of these
attributed to COVID-19. The largest increase was among adults
ages 25 through 44 years and among Hispanic or Latino persons.
Healthy young people could experience debilitating fatigue,
affecting their job performance and overall well-being. Those
who overcame COVID-19 could still experience long term damage to
the lungs, kidneys, brain, and heart, changing their quality of
life, in some cases forever. Dr. Quimby reiterated the
mitigations distancing, masking, and handwashing, and urged
widespread rapid testing. When a vaccine becomes available, its
distribution should be supported, he urged.
3:54:11 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY referenced research indicating long-term health
impacts experienced by those with mild to moderate infections of
COVID-19 and asked at what rate Alaskans are experiencing long-
term effects, even if they did not have a "serious" infection of
COVID-19.
3:55:06 PM
DR. QUIMBY replied that he had no specific numbers for Alaska
but that he could try to find that information.
3:56:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ, referencing the capacity crisis
resulting in Alaska patients being sent out of state, asked how
frequently surges occurred and what time of year to expect them.
3:57:23 PM
DR. QUIMBY replied that since his employment at Matanuska-
Susitna (Mat-Su) Regional commenced in 2012, full capacity had
been reached at least once per year, and patients were routinely
sent to Anchorage when there was no longer room for them.
4:00:18 PM
JAKE METCALFE, Executive Director, Alaska State Employees
Association, said he would like to share the requests for
improvement Alaska State Employees Association (ASEA) had
received from the government. He began with the lack of
communication which he said has left ASEA members feeling
confused and misinformed. He expressed his disappointment in
DHSS not taking the committee up on the invitation to testify,
as members of ASEA had questions and wanted to know they were
going to be safe on the job. Communications with DHSS have
improved, but ASEA is still being left out, he explained, with
ASEA members reporting outbreaks before they were reported by
DHSS, Mr. Metcalfe stated. Outbreaks at the Fairbanks Pioneer
Home and Fairbanks Correctional Center had increased in number
from 30 to 50, and it had been reported there was inadequate PPE
in that location, he imparted.
MR. METCALFE paraphrased a plan [full text of which is included
in members' packets] which should be put into effect
immediately: facilities should be cleaned and sanitized;
facilities should be closed to outside users, including
deliveries, when there is an outbreak; proper signage should be
in place which will alert members where there are active COVID-
19 cases; proper COVID-19 screening should be in place for
employees; and quarantining should happen for employees who have
been exposed to COVID. He went on to recommend an
implementation of informational safety councils so that unions
and staff were all able to come together on a regular basis to
share information and safety mitigation protocols. He imparted
to the committee the lack of information has employees worried
for their lives, families, and loved ones. By way of example,
he brought members' attention to an occurrence at the Atwood
building. [Details included in an email included in members'
packets.] Employees were told to evacuate the building without
much information. At the same time as the evacuation, the news
was released that three of the governor's staff members had
tested positive for COVID-19.
MR. METCALFE said he thought the evacuations were related to the
positive COVID tests among staff members, and at that point he
found out there was also a bed bug infestation, so he thought
that's why they had been asked to evacuate, and then he found
out folks were still concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak in
the governor's office. There was no clarifying information
until the next day or the day after that despite many concerns,
and Mr. Metcalfe said he did not understand why information
about positive cases in a building was not being shared. There
were good things happening as well, he shared: there was a
labor management meeting and a follow-up being planned; an
agreement was signed to hire an additional 200 long-term, non-
permanent contact tracers; an increase in wages by 50 percent
would be provided for staff at the Fairbanks Pioneer Home to
help with employees getting sick and missing work in that
facility. Anyone going into danger should at least receive an
increase in pay, he said, especially those treating residents
who needed them. In conclusion, Mr. Metcalfe reiterated the
request a crisis communication plan be put into place.
4:12:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked two questions: first at what point
stronger "remedies" would be considered due to the continued
lack of information being put forth, and second which employees
might also be eligible for an increase in pay akin to those
received by employees at the Pioneer Home.
4:13:49 PM
MR. METCALFE replied, regarding the second question, "premium
pay" allowed workers to stay with their current facility and
rendered obsolete the need to work second jobs, which would also
increase exposure; in terms of the first question, he said
crisis communication is needed and ASEA is willing to help
develop a plan to further spread immediate information and make
employees, families, and all Alaskans feel respected.
4:18:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR said she especially appreciated the answer
regarding premium pay regarding the ongoing challenge of staff
retention in some of the most important facilities even pre-
COVID.
4:20:32 PM
JARED KOSIN, President and CEO, Alaska State Hospital and
Nursing Home Association, said Alaska State Hospital and Nursing
Home Association (ASHNHA) saw 46 hospitalizations on any given
day with multiple days of 50-plus patients. As hospitalizations
are a lagging indicator, hospitalizations were expected to
increase in the foreseeable future. Several leaders in nursing
homes and hospitals report that staffing is stretched. In PPE
news, there was a potential shortage on gloves, Mr. Kosin
reported. He echoed others in his encouragement of public
health mitigation strategies: masks, social distancing,
handwashing, flu shots. He also suggested an extension of the
public health disaster emergency declaration, as it would remove
significant uncertainty and pressure to have it in place.
Without it, he cautioned, off-site screening centers are put in
question and alternate venues by which to handle surge capacity
would become a factor, among other concerns.
4:26:21 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked in terms of the nationwide glove shortage
where Alaska was in terms of access to critical PPE.
4:26:51 PM
MR. KOSIN replied there was a possible N95 mask shortage and
gloves were a critical issue as they were brought up at multiple
facilities.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked if ASHNHA had identified a date for the
emergency declaration extension.
MR. KOSIN replied the emergency was relevant, flexibility
critical, and the declaration set to expire on November 15,
2020.
4:31:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR sought clarification on communication with
the governor's office.
4:31:49 PM
MR. KOSIN replied he spoke with Commissioner Dr. Anne Zink who
speaks frequently with the governor's office, so there was
communication and hope it would be figured out before the
November 15 deadline.
4:32:50 PM
ELLEN HODGES, MD, Chief of Staff, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health
Corporation, reported a "dramatic, exponential" increase in
severity and acuity of COVID-19 cases associated with community
spread. She reported Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Center (YKHC)
tracked all its own contacts and currently had well over 500
contacts under investigation. In terms of demographics, like
much of Alaska case counts skewed younger, with 52 percent of
COVID-19 cases under the age of 40. She echoed Dr. Johnston
that hospitalizations and deaths disproportionately affected the
elderly. She voiced concern about exceeding hospital capacity,
relating stories of patients having to wait up to 19 hours for
available beds elsewhere. She urged immediate intervention.
She mentioned Bethel does have a mask ordinance, and all air
travelers are tested upon arrival. She reiterated the
importance of adhering to mitigations mentioned by other
testifiers.
4:38:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked about the issue in Bethel with lack of
sanitation and running water and asked if there was some way the
legislature could help.
4:39:35 PM
DR. HODGES replied 60 percent of households did not have running
water or sewer which didn't help with the adherence to
mitigation strategies, especially handwashing. She agreed that
providing adequate water and sewer was an essential public
health measure that should be undertaken.
4:40:59 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY, referencing the interconnectedness Dr. Hodges
brought up regarding health systems, asked how easing certain
restrictions could impact the current status of the pandemic in
the Y-K Delta.
4:41:41 PM
DR. HODGES replied kids returning to school was a high priority,
but positivity rates and case rates must decrease considerably
before returning to school in person. She emphasized school
exposure would put the elderly population living in multi-
generational households at risk. Finally, village teachers
needed to be protected and preserved as limited and valuable
resources.
4:43:52 PM
ROBERT ONDERS, MD, Interim Hospital Administrator, Alaska Native
Medical Center, mentioned we are still early in the pandemic and
will be judged on how we did at the end. He brought up rural
Alaska and Alaska Natives have not fared well during previous
pandemics such as H1N1, where there was a disproportionate
amount of disease, morbidity, and mortality. There seemed to be
a lot of focus on hospitals, he stated, referencing Dr. Quimby,
which deal with the consequences of public health measures.
There should be less focus on ICU beds and bed capacity and more
on preventative measures, he suggested. He informed the
committee additional hospital beds had been added, but it was
unclear whether they would continue to be provided as case
counts rose.
DR. ONDERS brought an article from the American Medical
Association entitled "Sensible Medicine - Balancing Intervention
and Inaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic" to the committee's
attention, the message being the possibility of the former
negating the latter, which is a detriment to the economy.
4:50:11 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY, referencing a sobering update received by the
committee by many of the same testifiers in July 2020, asked
what were some of the basic interventions from a policy
perspective that could be put forward to stem the tide of COVID-
19 in Alaska, especially heading into the winter months.
4:51:45 PM
DR. ONDERS replied when measures were in place case counts went
down and when they were not in place they went up. In Alaska
case counts went down with the early lockdown and when
municipalities implemented their month-long measures. Rural
communities implement their own protective measures. Dr. Onders
reiterated mask wearing, avoiding gatherings, and the like,
which all drove case counts down.
4:53:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked, as travel became more restrictive in
the winter months, whether capacity should be considered in a
different way.
4:54:55 PM
MR. KOSIN replied that if things did not improve, then staffing
would be limited and a system-wide surge could occur. All
efforts needed to be put toward public health measures before
finite points were reached.
4:56:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked Dr. Onders how capacity should be
looked at differently than it would be in a non-pandemic year.
4:57:13 PM
DR. ONDERS replied Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC)
prioritized travel in from rural communities, and at normal-
capacity standards ANMC would usually accept transfers from
those facilities, but the current focus should be on those
hospitals which do not have the extra level of care. If all 3
Anchorage hospitals were challenged, it would create ripples
across the entire state, he said.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked for a sense of where Alaska is regarding
the pandemic, what should be anticipated soon, and what steps
could be taken to avoid the inevitable scenario.
MR. KOSIN replied the hardest part was managing cracks in
staffing, because the only other place to send those in the
vulnerable population is to the hospitals.
5:02:06 PM
DR. HENNESSY replied reproductive numbers were higher in July
2020, but overall numbers were lower, so now there are a lot
more COVID-19 infected persons. The state is in a dangerous
position, he said, but Alaskans have shown the ability to bring
case numbers down through policy and through individual actions.
5:04:03 PM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY thanked testifiers.
5:04:33 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 5:04 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Atwood building issues.pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |
| FW Atwood Update .pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |
| ASEAAFSCME COVID-19 Outbreak Best Practices to keep Employees Safe.pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |
| Fwd Final Issues List for Labor Management Meetings.pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |
| RE LMC.pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |
| FW LMC on COVID related issues.pdf |
HHSS 10/20/2020 3:00:00 PM |
Supporting Document - ASEA |