Good Samaritan hospital official sanctioned by COVID vaccine scandal

A senior official at the Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose has been sanctioned after the hospital was criticized for giving the coveted coronavirus vaccines to teachers in Los Gatos.

Hospital spokeswoman Sarah Sherwood confirmed on Tuesday that “disciplinary action has been taken” against COO Gary Purushotham and that a further review is underway. Attempts to reach Purushotham on Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

The potential upheaval in the front rows comes after Santa Clara County berated the hospital, saying it would no longer receive doses of the vaccine, beyond what it needed to complete immunizations for people who have already received an initial dose, until he can show he has a vaccination plan that follows state and county guidelines.

The problem arose last week, when the Los Gatos Union School District director informed staff that he had the option of getting the vaccine at Good Samaritan, even as the county said hospitals should give priority to health workers and the elderly. The hospital administered approximately 65 doses to district staff. The arrangement has also raised concerns, as teachers have been asked to register as healthcare workers despite being educators.

In a statement Tuesday, Good Samaritan CEO Joe DeSchryver said the hospital would submit a plan to the county by the end of the week “that would include stronger checks and balances.

“While vaccine storage limits and fluctuating availability have been a challenge, we want to reassure our community that we have had only positive intentions throughout the immunization process,” DeSchryver said. “We regret the mistake we made in our effort to use all vaccines before they expire.”

The mistake has created frustration and resentment, much of which is fueled on social media and in text chats. Even though teachers were allowed to be vaccinated, there is no clear explanation as to why the Los Gatos District was chosen above the rest.

It’s about process and respecting process, ”said Kindra Sullivan, a parent with children in the neighboring Union School District, who has a school a few blocks from the hospital. “We’re all patiently waiting our turn, so when someone gets around that, it just creates anger. It’s not about who is more deserving.

A teacher from the Los Gatos district who asked not to be identified said he was horrified when reading the email inviting him to get the vaccine, telling his wife, “Oh my god, they’re asking me to perjure ”.

“We have received explicit instructions to do so. It was really fishy and a lot of us felt wronged by it, ”he said.

Sean Webby, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County District Attorney, said only that the office was “aware”.

Superintendent Paul Johnson came under immense pressure from a very loud group of parents in the affluent and well-connected neighborhood to reopen the classrooms. In his initial memo to staff, Johnson mentioned a district program to raise funds to provide meals to frontline workers at Good Samaritan, writing: “They mentioned that our kindness last year had failed. been forgotten and how much they appreciated it.

In a separate note to parents on Monday, Johnson wrote: “I fully understand the concerns about the vaccine rollout, and any characterization I could make of the return of a Good Samaritan was my own personal interpretation. While I apologize for this characterization, I will also continue to advocate for school staff to be a high priority for vaccinations. My job as a superintendent is to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff. This is all the more urgent as we approach our goal of reopening schools in the next week or two. This is why we were so grateful when Good Samaritan Hospital gave us this opportunity.

Reached by email on Tuesday, Johnson declined a telephone interview, writing: “As you can imagine, I am extremely busy now preparing for the reopening of the school, which, in light of current county statistics, is expected to reopen. take place on Monday February 1st. approved the reopening plan in November and we are working diligently to finalize the implementation. I will have a statement at the board meeting this Thursday.

Jim Fredette, a college history teacher in the district, said on Tuesday he thought Johnson was looking the other way. “If it was a mistake to offer it, it was a mistake to receive it,” he said.