Legislature(2021 - 2022)BY TELECONFERENCE
03/06/2021 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Executive Order 119 – Dhss Reorganization | |
| HB76 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 76-EXTENDING COVID 19 DISASTER EMERGENCY
4:13:02 PM
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 76, "An Act extending the January 15, 2021,
governor's declaration of a public health disaster emergency in
response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic;
providing for a financing plan; making temporary changes to
state law in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the following
areas: occupational and professional licensing, practice, and
billing; telehealth; fingerprinting requirements for health care
providers; charitable gaming and online ticket sales; access to
federal stabilization funds; wills; unfair or deceptive trade
practices; and meetings of shareholders; and providing for an
effective date." [Before the committee was the proposed
committee substitute (CS) for HB 76, Version 32-GH1011\B,
Dunmire, 3/3/21 ("Version B"), adopted as a work draft on
3/4/21.]
CO-CHAIR SNYDER opened invited testimony on HB 76, Version B.
4:13:23 PM
KEVIN BERRY, PhD, Professor, Department of Economics" University
of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), provided his invited testimony via a
PowerPoint presentation titled "Economic Impacts of COVID." He
began with slide 2, "Takeaways," and noted these takeaways fit
with what is becoming the consensus of the research literature
around pandemic events and economic growth. He said the first
takeaway is that COVID-19 is an unprecedented shock to the
economy. Simultaneously there is a health shock as well as a
negative impact on people's ability to live prosperous good
lives through the negative impacts of the pandemic on the
economy. The second takeaway, he stated, is that the economic
shock cannot end until COVID-19 is dealt with. For as long as
the infectious disease persists the shock to the economy will
continue as well. Masking, social distancing, and vaccination
drive down case numbers, helping the economy. He continued with
the third takeaway which is that policies that speed the end of
the pandemic and allow safe economic activity are pro-business,
pro-economic growth, pro-Alaska, and pro-U.S. These policies
include masks, social distancing, and even travel screening.
DR. BERRY spoke to slide 3, "Impact of Declaration Expiration."
He said some of the main impacts of the expiration of the
emergency declaration include the ability to require pretravel
testing rather than suggesting it. A large body of literature
indicates that requiring things leads to higher compliance than
does suggesting that people do things. He specified that the
expiration also potentially impacts the flexibility and the
speed in response as the ability is lost to have things like
emergency orders, other restrictions, and the ability to lift
different regulations in response to needs of business. He
credited Commissioner Crum and the administration for possibly
solving the problem of the $8 million in Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) funding that is at risk. Mr. Berry
stated that another impact of the expiration of the declaration
is the uncertainty for the healthcare sector. He stressed that
the most important impact of the expiration is the clear
communication of the risk of COVID-19 and that most Alaskans are
still susceptible to the disease, and therefore the possibility
of a third wave that could lead to the need for more blanket
restrictions that can slow the economy.
DR. BERRY noted that the graph on slide 4, "Total Employment in
Total Nonfarm," depicts the total employment in nonfarm sectors
in Alaska statewide [for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020]. He
further noted that the four graphs on slide 5 depict the total
employment in accommodation, food services and drinking, leisure
and hospitality, and retail trade in Anchorage [for 2018, 2019,
and 2020]. He said slides 4 and 5 highlight that there is a
large impact to employment in Alaska, particularly focused in
things that are thought of as the tourism sector, but these also
provide services to Alaskans. So, he continued, the pain of the
recession is not equal across everyone. He further noted that
in Alaska the job losses are also focused on those who are
between the ages 35 and 45, and between 25 and 35, particularly
amongst lower income workers, mostly in these sectors where
people are working face-to-face high-risk jobs in restaurants,
bars, and other locations.
4:17:20 PM
DR. BERRY displayed slide 6, "Total Employment in Health Care,"
and pointed out that the pain is felt everywhere. He related
that the employment level in the health care sectors is down to
that of 2018 following a steep drop early in the pandemic.
DR. BERRY moved to slide 7, "COVID-19 is the problem," and
discussed the driver of this trouble. He drew attention to the
two studies cited on the slide, one by Cronin and Evans, and the
other by Goolsbee and Syverson. He explained that both studies
basically make the point that when talking about the difference
between economic shutdowns and voluntary avoidance behavior,
voluntary stay at home behavior seems to explain a large
majority of the economic consequences of shutdown orders. This
means that even when the orders are lifted these sorts of
slowdowns remain, they are driven by the risk of the disease,
not by the orders themselves. He allowed it is a bit difficult
to look at shelter in place orders given Alaska hasn't been
under one for quite some time now and Anchorage, which has had
three different shutdowns, is not currently under one. People
are responding to the risk of the disease, and so long as the
disease persists economic malaise and less economic activity
will be seen. He advised that to heal the economy and be open
for business, COVID-19 must be dealt with first and the
administration needs the necessary tools to do so.
DR. BERRY turned to slide 8, "Reopening has limited effects,"
and related that the graphs are from an event study done by
Chetty et al. He said this study compared reopening in New
Mexico and Colorado, two relatively similar states. Colorado
opened first. He reported that there was roughly no difference
between the two states in consumer spending or employment,
although there was a relatively large difference in the number
of businesses open. This suggests that reopening early did not
help with economic activity, he continued, it simply meant that
businesses were open but didn't have an increase in customers.
So, he stated, some portion in the economic damage is due to
people avoiding getting sick and trying to protect themselves.
DR. BERRY explained that slide 9, "People respond to COVID
risk," summarizes the idea behind these previous studies. He
said this is an idea that is older than himself and older than
the studies he has pointed to. He related that the literature
itself got kicked off in about 2010 by a study done by Eli
Fenichel at the Yale School of Forestry that suggests that
basically the course of diseases and pandemics are often
influenced by self-protective behavior. He said a lot of the
economic cost of infectious disease comes from people trying to
avoid getting sick, whether to do the right thing for their
community, to protect their at-risk family members, protect
themselves, or because they've been told it's an at-risk
situation and they are doing their best to respond. So, to
mitigate the economic cost of the disease, which includes the
harmed human health and the economic harm, Mr. Berry advised
that the spread of the virus and voluntary avoidance behavior
must both be reduced by making it safer. Lockdowns and other
mandates need to be avoided and, for this, things like testing
matter as does the ability to identify variants and stop new
outbreaks by detecting people when they are coming into the
state. He said giving people good information about the risk in
their community is important. These resources for groups like
the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and others
are vital. Mr. Berry pointed out that there is cost to people
staying home. For instance, if it is decided to depend solely
on self-protective behavior, it will come at the cost of lower
economic activity, decreased academic achievement from having
schools closed, and increased calls to domestic violence and
sexual assault organizations. So, allowing the pandemic to
continue has monetary cost to the economy as well as social ill
costs, he added. Targeted policies and resources for the state
government to reduce the risk of the disease will reduce the
social and economic ills and open the economy safely.
DR. BERRY pointed to the graph on slide 10, "Passenger Volumes
at Ted Stevens International Airport." He said he gathered this
data from Kevin Sullivan who scraped TSA data through roughly
June 2020, and he personally scraped the rest of the data from
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents in 2020 and 2021 to
look at passenger volumes through this airport as sort of a
measure of the number of visitors to Alaska. He said two things
can be seen in the graph of the first four months of passenger
traffic over the last four years. The years 2018 and 2019 see a
consistent pattern in the number of visitors to the state. The
year 2020 sees a discreet drop-off around the timing of the
first case deemed confirmed in Alaska, the announcement of the
emergency order, the announcement of various shutdown orders,
and other things happening. So, Mr. Berry stated, it's hard to
blame the declining passenger traffic solely on the emergency
order. He further stated that in 2021 passenger volumes remain
lower. The data is unavailable post expiration of the emergency
order, he continued, but anecdotally it's unlikely Alaska will
see a dramatic increase in passenger load. What is being seen
is that people are making a choice to avoid traveling and avoid
coming to Alaska because of the risk of COVID-19. He pointed to
a study by Yan et al., published in "Nature Scientific Reports,"
that found people are making this risk tradeoff. He said the
best thing that can be done to heal the economy is to reduce the
prevalence of the disease.
4:24:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY inquired whether the graphs on slide 5
representing employment in accommodation, food services and
drinking, leisure and hospitality, and retail trade are for
Anchorage only or for the state.
DR. BERRY replied that those graphs are focused on Anchorage.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY drew attention to slide 7, "COVID-19 is
the problem." He asked if, while doing economic indicators, Dr.
Berry is seeing a standard deviation of a delay in knowing the
changes, and whether that delay is days or weeks. For example,
he said, things have been opened in Anchorage and restaurants
are filling up. He asked how long before that economic outcome
will be seen.
DR. BERRY confirmed there is potentially a delay. He explained
that potentially people are going to make calculations about the
risk that they face. Regarding the travel restrictions that he
previously mentioned, he said the requirement to be tested is a
signal to people coming to Alaska that the state is still taking
COVID-19 seriously. So, removing that potentially could make
people believe it's riskier to come here, although it's a burden
to travelers and could also disincentivize people. If talking
about a delay in people gaining new information as they change
their travel plans, he stated it is entirely possible it will
take a week or two to see the effect of policy. The problem is
that it's unlikely something new will be seen, he continued, so
people are still fairly educated on the risk of COVID-19 and
that is not significantly changing.
4:27:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY addressed slide 10, "Passenger Volumes at
Ted Stevens International Airport." He inquired whether the
lower passenger numbers for 2021 could be attributed to Alaska
Airlines not allowing the planes to be filled and the Al-Can
Highway is closed.
DR. BERRY allowed it's possible that other things are impacting
this. He said this gets back to the main point that Alaska
Airlines is imposing these restrictions in response to COVID-19
and COVID-19 risk and is doing this above and beyond what the
state suggests as the company's response to try to make
passengers feel safe. He stated that one of the best
communication strategies he's seen so far is coming from the
governor reminding people that Alaska is open but also safe to
visit. By giving the governor additional resources to fight the
pandemic and make it safer to visit Alaska by speeding
vaccinations travel to Alaska can be encouraged by reducing
those risks and making people feel safer on fuller flights.
4:28:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KURKA shared that he and his wife own small
businesses in the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley that serve
other small businesses "in terms of ... the accounting world,"
so they are in many networks. He stated that much of Dr.
Berry's presentation "doesn't pass the smell test." He allowed
there is some truth to the point that COVID-19 has brought on
fear and therefore less people going out and doing consumer
activities. But, he said, it wasn't COVID-19 that shut down
businesses it was the government. He asked whether Dr. Berry
has done a comparison of economic prosperity between businesses
in Anchorage where there has been continued shutdowns and those
in the Mat-Su, particularly restaurants. He related that he is
hearing about and seeing successful generationally owned
restaurants in Anchorage being shut down permanently but hasn't
seen that happening in the Mat-Su.
DR. BERRY responded that his presentation cites two nationwide
studies that compare, sort of, county to county based on the
timing of shutdown orders and other restrictions. He stated
that the Cronin and Evans study and the Goolsbee and Syverson
study, as well as others, demonstrate that the bulk of reduction
in traffic seems to be explained by the local case counts and
risk of COVID-19, not necessarily the timing of shutdowns.
Anecdotes are individual data points, he added, and it's often
better to look at the total dataset as widely as possible.
There is also the potential that many of the businesses in the
Mat-Su are relatively close and a lot of people commute between
the Mat-Su and Anchorage, so it can be hard to disentangle what
is happening between those two locations. He said it would be a
worthwhile study that he'd be happy to look at.
DR. BERRY continued his answer and explained that the nationwide
studies cited in his presentation might, for instance, look at
one county in Iowa and a county across the border in Illinois
where one faces a shutdown order, and the other doesn't. He
doesn't mean this to also sound like shutdown orders have no
impact at all, he said, it's just that they are also
simultaneously often occurring around the same time that COVID
cases are increasing. For instance, he continued, the Anchorage
shutdowns occurred in August when the summer wave was happening
and again in December when the second wave was happening, so
they are also timed to the highest risk periods to COVID-19. He
allowed Representative Kurka raises a valuable point that there
are some folks who are making risk calculations where they are
willing to participate in the economy regardless of local case
counts and what is going on but advised that what's overall
happening in the economy depends on everybody's choices. There
is some subset of the population that is very responsive to
risk, so mandates that are not lockdowns - like mask mandates
and testing - help encourage those people to feel safe and
return to their typical economic behavior. Dr. Berry agreed
that some businesses in the Mat-Su are potentially doing well
and said that could also be because some of the people in
Anchorage were making the risk calculation that they are
unafraid of COVID, or have decided that their family is unlikely
to be impacted, or they don't know anybody who is high risk, or
they have miscalculated their own risk, and may be driving to
the Mat-Su and increasing business there as well. So, it's
unclear if that is a strategy that is possible for the entire
state at once.
4:33:05 PM
NILS ANDREASSEN, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League
(AML), noted AML's membership is comprised of Alaska's cities
and boroughs. He pointed out that in considering the extension
of the state's emergency declaration, it is three weeks past the
declaration's expiration. That's important, he said, because
it's reflective of the overall process that local governments
have experienced. He continued:
Over the course of the last year the experience that
local governments have had can best be described as
frustrating. For every state action or inaction 165
local councils, assemblies, have wrestled with what to
do in response or in place of. That's required
thousands of local elected officials and more than 100
administrators to become public health experts,
incident commanders, and targets. Together they have
dealt with hundreds of state and federal actions that
provide guidance without clarity, direction without
data, and an emergency declaration that hasn't been
firmly in place since November. That means since
October and every 30 days thereafter, our members in
AML have reached out to the governor and to
legislators to renew the declaration to ensure that
Alaska's communities have the resources they need to
respond to this pandemic. Alaska's local governments
have managed through this process and continue to do
so. This means that they have diverted a large amount
of their attention to disaster response and
management, to responding to the needs of their
residents and businesses, and to fill the gap where
the state was enacting at the local level.
The governor has been clear throughout, placing
emphasis on local control of COVID mitigation. This
has come up most prominently with respect to business
closures or limitations or requirements for face
coverings. So, let's be clear, those had nothing to
do with the state's emergency declaration and
everything to do with the transfer of responsibility
from the state to the local level to make decisions
that helped contribute to flattening the curve and
protecting our healthcare capacity. In a lot of ways
local leaders have borne the brunt of the public
backlash of these mitigation measures, but it's also
true that the public may conflate the disaster
declaration with these actions.
The loss of the declaration means that local
governments have been scrambling to fill holes created
in its absence. Many declarations were tied to the
state's and have either been renewed or now expired.
Many have had to reconsider their own travel,
quarantine, and testing restrictions when the state's
[restrictions] went from mandatory to optional. Many
are in the midst of operating testing or vaccination
clinics with questions about available resources,
training, and authorities. Some are now racing to
address spikes in cases. Many are looking at an
uncertain future, new strains, variants, supporting of
vulnerable residents, preparing for an economic
rebound, and preparing for the lack thereof.
Ultimately, it's this uncertainty that ends up most
challenging.
A state government that is responsive and capable at
the very least assists local governments in
stabilizing their current operating environment. In
fact, the emergency declaration just makes government
work better when it's needed most. That means that
while we, state and local officials charged with
public welfare, continue to try and respond to the
public health needs of our communities and to take
necessary actions that support economic recovery, the
declaration remains just a tool at our disposal. The
Alaska Disaster Act, which within HB 76 I believe is
just Sections 2 and 3, allows the state to allocate,
distribute, and manage scarce resources, including
vaccine and testing supplies, much of this in
cooperation with and at the request of local
governments; allows it to suspend regulations that may
prevent or impede the provision of health services or
COVID response, including many that businesses and
organizations have depended on to ensure continued
operations; allows DMVA [Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs] and DHSS [Department of Health and
Social Services] to work together within unified
command structure, which has met weekly or bi-weekly
with our members; and allows the state to coordinate
with FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] on
non-congregate shelters, which is also intersected
with municipal assets.
There is a reason that the Alaska Disaster Act is in
place to allow the state to act quickly and
efficiently in response to a disaster. It's that
easy. Any delay to this simply erodes the partnership
that's in place between the state and local
governments, between the state and its healthcare
providers, and ultimately between the state and the
business community. If we want to be open for
business, local governments need a state whose
emergency powers are fully employed on behalf of
exactly that. Anything less places extreme pressure
on local officials, slows Alaska's economic rebound,
and places Alaskans' lives at risk.
Chair and committee members, what's perhaps most
disheartening is that I know my testimony today may
not result in a desired or quick outcome. Not because
of your action, but it's part of the situation where
we're behind in responding to this continuing disaster
and I've joined colleagues from all sectors in
advocating for the Disaster Declaration's extension.
At this point it isn't just COVID fatigue that I
struggle with, but it's having this conversation about
whether there is to be, or not, a disaster declaration
placed when we continue to need exactly that.
4:39:01 PM
KATI CAPOZZI, President & CEO, Alaska Chamber of Commerce, noted
the chamber was founded in 1953 and its mission is to advocate
for a healthy business environment in Alaska. She said the
chamber has over 700 members and represents businesses of all
sizes and histories from across the state. She expressed the
chamber's support for passage of HB 76.
MS. CAPOZZI said Alaska's businesses have suffered immensely
over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one year into this
public health and economic crisis many are struggling to keep
their doors open. The business community has endured and is
beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel and is plotting
a course for recovery, she continued. Economic recovery,
however, hinges on (indisc.) COVID-19. The true economic impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic to Alaska is yet to be determined,
especially considering recent policy actions (indisc.) control
that effectively shut down the largest portion of Alaska's
tourism season for at least another season.
MS. CAPOZZI related that there is concrete data on job losses.
She specified that [according to the] Department of Labor there
were 44,000 fewer jobs during peak employment months in 2020
than there were in 2019. Virtually every industry in Alaska was
negatively impacted, she said, some far more significantly than
others. The oil and gas and hospitality industries were hardest
hit, each ending 2020 with nearly 30 percent fewer employees in
their workforce than the year prior.
MS. CAPOZZI stated it's never been clearer that healthy people
are the foundation of a healthy economy. Addressing public
health concerns contributes to Alaska's ability to recover, she
pointed out. While Alaska has had lower case counts and
hospitalizations and leads the nation in vaccinations per
capita, she stressed it's important to keep the tools in place
to allow for this positive trend. From the business community's
perspective, she continued, providing the state with the
appropriate authorities and tools to continue COVID-19 response
and recovery does not represent more restrictions and burdensome
mandates but quite the opposite.
MS. CAPOZZI noted that before the Emergency Declaration expired
in February the chamber had expressed concern that any lapse in
the state's ability to receive and expend healthcare resources
would immediately impede the progress made and add unacceptable
uncertainty to the state's collective recovery, from both health
and economic perspectives. She advised that without some of the
regulatory flexibility provisions provided within HB 76,
operations throughout the state and across many industries,
particularly the healthcare industry, are forced to do their
best to comply with confusing and unclear guidance. This
unnecessarily adds increased uncertainty to the business
community, she added.
MS. CAPOZZI concluded by emphasizing the need for action and
reiterating that the chamber supports passage of HB 76 or any
legislation that provides the state authority to effectively
address ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. She
stressed that Alaska's economic health is depending on it.
4:42:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY stated he would like to see data showing
the differentiation between areas and businesses. He said COVID
is a real thing. He related that he has heard some businesses
have adapted and done well, some have adapted and stayed in
business, and some were not allowed to adapt and had to close
their doors. But, he added, he is also hearing the "Stockholm
Syndrome" where some businesses want to stay the way it's been
with COVID and not go back to the way it was before COVID. He
asked whether Ms. Capozzi has also been hearing that.
MS. CAPOZZI requested clarification regarding businesses wanting
to stay the way it is with COVID.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked whether Ms. Capozzi is familiar
with the Stockholm Syndrome.
MS. CAPOZZI responded yes.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY related that some restaurants were given
the privilege of drive-through pickup of alcohol, but now will
have to go back to the old way of doing things. He said
restaurants have done great in adapting and want to be able to
continue those adaptations. He inquired whether Ms. Capozzi has
heard of other examples about businesses wanting to stay under
the COVID structures that they've adapted.
MS. CAPOZZI answered that there have been some regulatory
rollbacks or pauses which allowed businesses to innovate and
adapt, and thrive in some cases, and the alcohol pickup is
certainly one of them. She pointed out that another small, but
important, piece that the Senate is currently considering is the
ability for nonprofits to hold their board meetings virtually,
which is important for all nonprofits and something the chamber
hopes to see permanently changed moving forward. She said she
has heard anecdotally of opportunities that have become
available throughout COVID and mostly have to do with businesses
that innovated and pivoted virtually overnight to be able to
thrive in this environment.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY requested Ms. Capozzi to provide the
committee with information regarding the aforementioned.
MS. CAPOZZI agreed to do so.
4:45:59 PM
MICHELLE DEWITT, Executive Director, Bethel Community Services
Foundation (BCSF), noted BCSF is the entity designated by
statute that sponsors the Kuskokwim Ice Classic, a small and
highly localized ice classic, as opposed to the Nenana Ice
Classic with which people tend to be familiar. She stated the
foundation operates a very similar fundraising contest, visible
primarily in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta Region, where
customers guess the month, day, and time of breakup. The
foundation dedicates the net revenue to nonprofit organizations
that provide services in the community, most of which are youth
groups.
MS. DEWITT recounted that in pre-COVID times youth groups would
sell tickets in stores to earn money for their club or group.
But last year at the time ticket sales were about to begin BCSF
began to grasp the devastation of the pandemic. Realizing
tickets could not be safely sold in person, she said the
foundation pivoted to a phone sales strategy, which resulted in
a logistics nightmare for this fundraiser. She explained that
Ice Classic staff and the volunteer groups tried to staff the
phones, but the phones were easily and quickly overwhelmed at
peak times. The process relied on a very slow routine of taking
down the customer's name, contact information, their guess, and
details about which nonprofit group they wanted to support with
their purchase. The guess, she specified, must be 100 percent
accurate, and must be verified with the caller. With volunteers
receiving the information, the accurate recording of the guess
was out of the customer's hands and into a volunteer's hands.
But, she noted, this transaction didn't stop there.
MS. DEWITT explained that volunteers work remotely from their
homes for COVID-19 safety, with phones forwarded to different
people every few hours. Folks working the phones wrote guesses
as quickly as they could on the forms, she related, and then the
forms then had to be transferred to actual Ice Classic guesses.
All the guesses in the forms now located at homes of volunteers
throughout town had to be retrieved and physically sorted in
chronological order. After all this, as a method of validating
accuracy again, guesses are entered into a spreadsheet, she
further explained. So again, a volunteer had to receive a call
and complete a form, transfer the data to a ticket, sort the
ticket into the entire pool of tickets in chronological order,
and then enter guesses into a database. This was four layers of
work 6,000 times over. A reduction in sales of more than 20
percent was seen, she reported. Normally, between 7,500 and
10,000 guesses are received, but with the phone-only approach
about 6,000 were logged.
MS. DEWITT stated that now, in 2021, the foundation is about to
go into a similar position. A vaccine is here, many COVID-19
safety precautions and adaptations have been embraced, and the
foundation is moving into an era of decreasing members, she
said. But it's not yet safe or appropriate to return to in-
person sales for this sort of fundraiser. So, BCSF is staring
down this potentially cumbersome process and the language in the
bill offers substantial relief. She asked the committee to
support this language, which will allow this fundraiser and
undoubtedly many others around the state to continue in a safe
way online in the pandemic.
MS. DEWITT emphasized that the true benefit of this [proposed]
adaptation will be reaped by the groups the foundation serves,
which most recently included a youth dance company, the group
that offers swim passes and free swim lessons at the fitness
center, the pet rescue nonprofit, the student council, and the
local youth group Teens Acting Against Violence. She said that
groups like these have had nearly all their venues for raising
funds disappear in this year of COVID. An online adaptation
will provide them with the ability to raise funds for their
programs by using technology, she stated in conclusion.
4:50:07 PM
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested Ms. Dewitt to talk about why having
an online adaptation is worthwhile moving into 2021, and the
importance of being able to do this online versus phones.
MS. DEWITT replied that the online adaptation allows for
increased efficiencies with the fundraiser. By phone, she said,
it is a four-step process repeated over and over literally
thousands of times. Online keeps everyone safe, reduces the
significant stress, and keeps the accuracy in the hands of the
customer who can submit his or her own guess and not have to
rely on somebody at the receiving end to write down the guess
accurately. It is a huge benefit for the customer as well as
for the volunteers on the receiving end in terms of efficiency.
4:51:50 PM
THOMAS QUIMBY, MD, Vice President, Alaska Chapter of the
American College of Emergency Physicians, noted he is a full-
time practicing emergency physician. He said that to date
Alaska has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well and
there are indicators that the pandemic is winding down. The
number of vaccines administered thus far in Alaska is
encouraging and is seen as a critical step towards achieving a
degree of herd immunity. The chapter is optimistic about the
future, he added, and is hoping for a return to a semblance of
normality soon.
DR. QUIMBY cautioned that, despite the many positive indicators,
there remains considerable vulnerability to additional surges.
He noted that currently there are worrisome case counts in
Petersburg and the Mat-Su Valley. Repeatedly, a resurgence in
cases has been seen throughout the country and globe when
mitigation measures are relaxed. Even though vaccine rates
increase daily and there is thought to be a degree of naturally
acquired immunity, he said the data does not suggest that the
population has yet reached a degree of immunity that would
guarantee invulnerability to future surges. He related that his
hospital continues to see COVID related complaints as an average
of 30-40 percent of its daily emergency department volume. As
well, he advised, the threat of new, more infectious variants
remains to be fully understood.
DR. QUIMBY stated that there are significant practical concerns
with the lapse of the emergency disaster declaration. Broadly,
he explained, the declaration provides important flexibility in
resources for rapidly responding to the dynamics of the
pandemic. The situation can change rapidly, he pointed out.
For example, within a recent two-day period his hospital went
from zero COVID patients to thirteen, a significant and
concerning increase for a hospital with just sixteen intensive
care unit (ICU) beds. Specifically, he further explained, there
is concern about loss of access to a variety of federal
(indisc.) waivers, with many potential implications. This may
affect alternative care sites and there is much uncertainty now
regarding the legality of existing sites and whether they can
continue to operate. The Lake Otis Testing Center has shut
down, he continued. It is known that testing is a critical
component of managing the pandemic to take intermediate steps
before healthcare systems become completely overwhelmed
necessitating shutdowns. He said the Alaska Chapter is
concerned about other existing sites and whether they can
continue to operate. With the lapse of the declaration,
patients have lost access to tele-health providers due to
concerns about liability.
DR. QUIMBY stated that his organization believes a bill to
permanently allow non-Alaska state license tele-health providers
is the wrong answer. He specified that an emergency order
extending access temporarily allows Alaska to craft a more
nuanced permanent bill that can serve Alaskans in the future.
He further noted that travel related testing has been severely
curtailed. He pointed out that this has been an important tool
for many rural communities with limited healthcare services to
prevent outbreaks. He advised that mandatory airport testing
will help protect Alaskans, should be in place until vaccination
is more widespread, and allows for detection control of COVID-19
variant strains.
DR. QUIMBY further related that some [case management] facility
regulations have also been waived in the meantime that allow
placement for personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies,
temporary walls and barriers, and other modifications to
facilities necessitated by COVID related protocols. He stressed
that the Alaska Chapter has concerns for potential misuse of
accessing supplies from the state and national stockpiles, which
include PPE such as masks, gloves, gowns, and powered air
purifying respirators (PAPRs); and essential medical equipment
such as ventilators, high-flow nasal canula devices, and testing
supplies. He shared that at one point during the November
[2020] surge his hospital was down to only one or two high-flow
nasal canula devices available, none were available on the
commercial market. His hospital was able to quickly get 15 from
the state but it's uncertain whether his hospital would be able
to do that in the future. He pointed out that during much of
the pandemic these items have been unreliably available on the
private market and the ability to get them quickly from the
state has made all the difference during surges.
DR. QUIMBY advised that there is also increased complexity and
difficulty with a variety of procurement issues, such as lengthy
standardized contract processes that prohibit rapid hiring for
vaccine distribution, testing, and delivery of health care as
needed. He stated there is concern for communications between
agencies and facilities given the loss of the Incident Command
System (ICS). Also, he said, potential messaging to the public
of the need for personal caution and responsibility in
protecting the community has been reduced. This would be a
great mistake, Dr. Quimby counseled, especially with the rapidly
improving situation. To date, countless examples of large
surges have been seen when communities, states, and countries
have relaxed mitigation measures, such as physical distancing,
indoor gathering, and masking, prior to widespread vaccination.
These surges invariably tax the healthcare system's capacity
which necessitates shutdowns that have many negative
consequences such as harming the economy, restricting liberties,
and affecting mental health.
DR. QUIMBY allowed there are many promising indicators that the
end of the pandemic draws near but cautioned that "we are not
there yet." While dropping case counts is very encouraging and
the desire to send the public positive messaging is appreciated,
he continued, failure to extend the emergency declaration has
many negative consequences for those working in healthcare and
still very much involved in managing the pandemic. He related
that, most of all, repeal of the declaration has created
considerable confusion and created uncertainty in addition to
loss of access to important tools for combatting the pandemic.
He pointed out that, overall, there is no apparent financial or
other significant negative consequences to continuing the
declaration for the immediate future. He further noted that
alternative solutions through patchwork legislation thus far did
not thoroughly address the issues created by repeal of the
declaration and had many potential unintended consequences. He
said the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians therefore respectfully requests that the committee
renew the disaster declaration.
4:58:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY, regarding the recent COVID surge in the
Mat-Su Valley mentioned by Dr. Quimby, inquired about the
severity of these COVID cases compared to the past.
DR. QUIMBY replied that current cases are not looking like the
November surge. He said cases rapidly climbed several weeks ago
and have started to drop off some. Part of his concern is that
a significant outbreak among younger and healthier people is
being seen. There was a school outbreak and many of those
people are showing up in the emergency department, but they
aren't requiring hospitalization consistent with what has been
seen other places. The concern, he stated, is that if this
spills over into the more vulnerable population another large
surge could be seen. He said it is manageable at this time but
could change very quickly as mentioned in his testimony.
5:00:03 PM
CO-CHAIR SNYDER opened public testimony on Version B, the
proposed CS for HB 76, then closed it after ascertaining no one
from the public wished to testify. She said public testimony
would be reopened at the bill's next hearing on 3/9/21.
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced that HB 76 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| EO 119, Legislative Legal Memo, 3.6.2021.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| HB 76; Invited Testimony, Prof. Berry - UAA Econ, 3.6.2021.pptx |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB 76 Sectional Analysis Version 32 GH1011 A.pdf |
HHSS 3/2/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB 76 Transmittal Letter.pdf |
HHSS 3/2/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB 76 Version 32 GH 1011 A.pdf |
HHSS 3/2/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB0076-1-2-021821-CED-N.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB0076-2-2-021821-DHS-N.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB0076-3-2-021821-DPS-N.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB0076-4-2-021821-MVA-Y.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HB 76(HSS)-DOR-TAX-02-10-21.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| CSHB76 32-GH1011B.pdf |
HHSS 3/4/2021 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| HSCR - EO 119.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| ASHNHA Letter of Support for HB 76 (Final).pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
HB 76 |
| Facing Foster Care Alaska HSS Testimony on EO 119.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| FFC Alaska - Preventing Early Departures Among the Child Welfare Workforce.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| HSCR - EO 119.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| LAW HOUSE HSS memo.final 2.25.21.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| ANHB to Commissioner Crum re. DHSS Reorganization - Final.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| Alaska Healthcare Transformation Letter - EO 119.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| DHSS_Law EO 119 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| EO 119 FULL.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| FFC Alaska - 2020 HB 151 Report to the Legislature.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
|
| FFC Alaska - Caseload briefing paper Multi-page NCWWI.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| FFC Alaska - NCWWI Caseload-Workload 2011 One Pager.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |
| House HSS Response - EO 119 - Cover Letter and Attachments.pdf |
HHSS 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM |
EO 119 |