A Maryland health department is taking new steps to protect its workers six months after a coronavirus outbreak killed a veteran employee who was twice denied permission to work from home.
Chantee Mack, 44, died in May. More than 20 colleagues also caught the coronavirus, and some suffer lasting problems.
Now, after a KHN and Associated Press story in July spurred an investigation, Prince Georges County officials say they have added an appeals process to their work-at-home policy and hired a consultant to identify operational and management needs for improvement in the department. Union officials say the county has also made personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, more available in recent months and put a greater emphasis on social distancing.
Were getting somewhere, said Rhonda Wallace, leader of a local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. But were not there yet.
In an email to KHN, health department spokesperson George Lettis said officials cant release results of the county investigation because of personnel and medical information. But a county officials letter to Wallace shares the inquirys main conclusions: that the health department tried to get PPE in early March and advised employees about social distancing and proper hygiene via a newsletter.
It must not be overlooked that this was a rapidly evolving situation, said the letter from Dr. George Askew, deputy chief administrative officer for health, human services and education. Best efforts were made to keep the community and Health Department employees safe and informed during this unprecedented time. The letter does not acknowledge any lapses made by the county.
Some employees argue the investigation didnt delve into the circumstances around Macks death and say the county should publicly acknowledge its role in what happened. At a news conference in July, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Macks death deserves an investigation and the county would spare no time or expense.
Mack, who worked in the departments sexually transmitted diseases program, was denied permission to work from home in March even though she had health problems that put her at high risk for COVID-19 complications.
At least three other employees whose requests to work from home were denied around that time also got sick. Revonda Watts, a nurse and program manager, said she was allowed to work from home for one day before being called back to the office. Some of these employees worked face-to-face with the public at least part of the time.
A union document obtained by KHN detailed a conference call by department managers in which Diane Young, an associate director, laid out criteria for working from home, such as being 65 or older or having small children. She said decisions would be made case by case.
Meanwhile, protective masks, gowns and other safety equipment were in short supply nationally and at the health department, which distributed them only to certain workers. In early April, when Young asked Watts about PPE needs, Watts wrote in an email obtained by KHN: N-95 masks are needed for all staff. We were given 1 mask to reuse. We have no face shields for the clinicians nor do we have gowns.
Young responded that even though goggles were available, face shields and gowns are in limited supply and will be used for those who are testing patients for COVID-19.
Several employees described meetings and morning huddles in the office in March and April held without social distancing, in which few, if any, participants wore masks.
One employee after another got sick.
Watts, 58, and administrative aide Natania Bowen, 47, both have asthma and developed bacterial lung infections on top of COVID-19. Both gave the virus to family members. Receptionist Yolanda Potter, 53, developed a blood clot in her right leg. She and X-ray tech Carolyn Ferguson have ongoing memory problems, while Bowen continues to have lung issues.
While Bowen now works from home, Watts, Potter and Ferguson are back at the office. As of mid-November, Lettis said, 141 health department employees were working fully on-site, 68 partly on-site and 196 at home.
Employees said they are pleased that social distancing is now the norm in the health department, that more places to sanitize hands exist and that PPE is easier to get. Theyre also hopeful about the new policy on remote work.
The countywide rules include two levels of review for work-at-home requests: one by a supervisor and another by a higher-up boss who must give a reason if a workers request is denied. The employee can then ask the Office for Human Resource Management to review the denial.
Despite such measures, some employees still worry about contracting COVID-19 at work, especially as the states coronavirus dashboard puts the countys cumulative caseload over 42,000.
Several employees are seeking long-term disability leave or talking to lawyers about getting workers compensation. Watts said she is awaiting a workers comp hearing and has asked again for permission to work from home as she deals with crushing fatigue and numbness in her legs and hands. Since returning to the office, she said, she has had to bring her own mask from home.
I get frustrated with not being able to just bounce back, she said. The health department officials really let us down and didnt do their due diligence to make sure the staff was protected.
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This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KHN (Kaiser Health News), which is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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