PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Kenney and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley today issued the following statements on the Inspector General’s report, released this morning, regarding the City’s relationship with Philly Fighting COVID, Inc.
Mayor Kenney:
“I want to thank Inspector General Alex DeSantis and his staff for their expeditious and thorough handling of this investigation. I believe the findings of the Inspector General accurately reflect the mistakes that were made. And I fully accept the recommendations of the report: more extensive training for staff on contracting, particularly in emergencies, and improved transparency about vaccination progress for the public.
“Philly Fighting COVID was a mistake—we’ve said as much—but we must also note the Inspector General found no malice, no ill-intent, and no one seeking personal gain. The Inspector General found that these decisions were made with the goal of moving quickly during the emergency. I agree. This was a case of bad decisions being made in the midst of a lengthy and constantly evolving crisis, and a top manager who should have been more directly involved.
“I am confident that Dr. Farley’s plan in response to the IG’s report will avoid any similar issues in the future. I remain extremely proud of the Commissioner and his department’s staff for their tireless efforts over the past year, and for his response to this matter. Our administration is committed to seeing this great city through the pandemic, to improving the racial and economic equity of vaccinations, and continuing the level of transparency that this report represents.”
Dr. Thomas Farley:
“I want to thank the Office of the Inspector General for its thorough review of our procedures and its clear, actionable recommendations. I was pleased to learn that they did not identify any illegal or unethical actions by Department of Health employees. That said, it is my responsibility that the Health Department doesn’t make bad decisions—like working with PFC—no matter how quickly we are trying to respond to this epidemic. We have been and will continue to work hard to vaccinate Philadelphia residents appropriately, quickly, and equitably, and to rebuild the public trust.”
Dr. Farley also released details of his plan, presented to the Mayor, in response to the Inspector General’s report.
The plan reviews the Mayor’s charges to the Health Department in his letter to Dr. Farley on January 29, 2021, as well as weaknesses identified by the Office of the Inspector General. The plan provides updates on policy and procedure changes as well as accomplishments in those areas.
The Health Department is complying with all requests in the Mayor’s letter and the recommendations of the IG. Among them: the department has provided second dose vaccinations to people who got their first doses from PFC, redirected doses to other providers including the Black Doctor’s COVID-19 Consortium, and placed Commerce Director Michael Rashid on the Health Department’s COVID-19 RFP review committees.
Many of the weaknesses identified by the Office of the Inspector General were similarly identified by the Health Department during internal review. Most importantly, the Health Department will now be vetting all COVID-19 vaccine providers, not only with the CDC enrollment process, but for organization or corporate structure, evidence of prior experience in vaccinations and other related work, and complaints for illegal, improper, or unethical actions.
In addition to that vetting process, the Health Department is considering developing an MOU covering operations and issues of equity that would serve as an enforceable agreement with those providers.
More generally, the OIG’s report identified that key decisions were made by too few people. The Health Department has since expanded the Vaccine Team to more than 20 people, drawing staff from multiple Health Department divisions and other City agencies, and including a dedicated racial equity advocate who sits in every meeting of this Vaccine Team. In addition, the RFP review committee has been expanded to not only include the Commerce Director, but also a representative from City Council.
Dr. Farley’s plan is available here.