Public employees are tasked with carrying out public policy. That’s true for school teachers (which I was), for our county commissioners, and also for our county’s public health nurse. But, voiced at the Oct. 11 Board of Health meeting, County Nurse Debbie Lang announced that she made the personal decision not to offer Covid-19 vaccines to anyone through Sanders County’s Public Health Department.

Ms. Lang has the personal freedom to form her own opinions about the safety of the Covid vaccine; she should not have the authority to personally deny a booster to those county residents who want one. As a public employee, she should follow our community developed and adopted County Health Board policy, and the Montana State Health Board policy governing our public health department. Our neighboring counties all offer the booster. The Covid booster is recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

Newsweek recently reported Montana as being one of 6 states having the highest COVID-affected rates in our country (“COVID Map Shows States Where Positive Cases Are Higher”). Ms. Lang’s decision perpetuates contagion rates in our county and impacts staffing shortages due to illness. It eliminates the availability of this vaccine to those who depend on the local services of our county’s public health office to provide for their care. It makes the Public Health Board a barrier between a decision made by a provider to their patient.

I know that it is sometimes difficult to put aside personal opinion to serve the public good, but I am asking that our Public Health Department reconsider and follow public policy. Thank you.

Mindy Ferrell, Trout Creek