OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Mayor Stothert and Omaha City Council Vice President Vinny Palermo are proposing an ordinance that would limit the Douglas County Health Director's powers.
In the possibility of an epidemic, the ordinance would allow the health director to only establish the threat. If a threat is established, then a special epidemic health director, appointed by the city, would manage the interventions.
Palermo says this takes the pressure off the county health director.
"What we’ve known, and the facts are, people in positions to have the power to make decisions sometimes can’t make the decisions. They’re either afraid or don’t have the courage to do it. We know with having two different health directors that both acted differently, the citizens' health in the City of Omaha was impacted by that inaction," Palermo said.
He adds this plan would expedite the process of implementing interventions such as mask mandates.
"The City of Omaha and its citizens, their public health was vulnerable because we had two different health directors that acted in two different ways. We had one that did not act and we had one that I believe didn’t act fast enough," Palermo said. "When we talk about the possible DHM coming forward, I truly believe if this proposed ordinance was in place, we would’ve relieved the pressure on hospitals. We would have relieved the workload on teachers and nurses and everyone that’s been affected by the COVID pandemic."
President of the Board of Health Chris Rodgers disagrees. He says the ordinance would add unnecessary steps.
The Omaha Fire Department's Physician Medical Director would be appointed as the Special Epidemic Health Director. The ordinance requires the Special Epidemic Health Director to consult a panel of infectious and contagious disease experts.
Rodgers says the OFD's Medical Director currently consults the health department.
"When he says we’re consulting, the 'we' that’s consulting the panel of experts, is the health department, so that’s what I mean. You say you’re going to reduce steps, you’re adding more steps or you’re putting a repetitive loop in," Rodgers said. "When the fire department’s medical health director has a public health decision, they call us so now you've put that person as the special epidemiologist, then you’ve created a panel of experts that they’re going to talk to, which is going to be the health department."
Rodgers adds, the ordinance is making public health political. He points to the step in the ordinance that would take the recommendation from the panel and then present it to the Mayor and City Council to be voted upon.
"You just put it in the decision-making of a political body (and) out of an appointed person. And when I say consistency, again, the state’s medical director is an appointed person that makes that decision. There are several decisions in this building made by unelected people," Rodgers said. "We, as politicians, get called up sometimes and it's just the ego of it. This is the time we don’t need to let our egos get in the way of something. This is bigger than this. It's bigger than the coronavirus and doing this on a knee-jerk reaction because of the political wins is not wise."
The Omaha City Council will discuss the ordinance at the March 29 meeting.