Health department staff put at risk of COVID-19

Probe shows mistakes in Md. county policies

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 George’s County officials say they have added an appeals process to their work-athome 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 more available in recent months and put a greater emphasis on social distancing.

“We’re getting somewhere,” said Rhonda Wallace, leader of a local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “But we’re not there yet.”

In an email to KHN, health department spokesman George Lettis said officials can’t release results of the county investigation because of personnel and medical information. But a county official’s letter to Wallace shares the inquiry’s 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 that the investigation didn’t delve into the circumstances around Mack’s death and say the county should publicly acknowledge its role in what happened. At a news conference in July, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Mack’s death “deserves an investigation” and the county would “spare no time or expense.”

Mack 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.

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.

As of mid-November, Lettis said, 141 health department employees were working fully on site, 68 partly on site and 196 at home.