County council requests further review of Covid-19 response

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Whatcom County Council requested during its July 12 meeting for BERK Consulting to provide data and review the scope of its report on the county’s Covid-19 pandemic response, after preliminary findings were presented to council in a previous meeting.
Council unanimously passed a motion requesting BERK include broad data and reasoning for its health board recommendations as well as a motion stating that reviewing the report accomplishes its goal of helping Whatcom County be ready for future crises.
On January 11, the council hired BERK Consulting to conduct a review of the county’s emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic. On March 10, 2020, council, acting as the health board, created Whatcom Unified Command (WUC) as the county’s multi-jurisdictional response team for the Covid-19 pandemic. The independent review process is intended to analyze the county’s response during WUC’s operation and identify opportunities for better emergency preparedness. WUC was deactivated August 1, 2021.
BERK has yet to release its final report, but presented preliminary findings to council during a June 21 public works and health board committee meeting. BERK found the county responded well overall as seen by its low mortality rate, regional collaboration and effective donations process, according to the preliminary review. The review shows WUC could have had more trained staff and clearer roles of responsibility and authority between it and the health department.
Former councilmember Rud Browne presented during the meeting and said WUC withheld information from council and delayed opening a free mass-testing center. The council submitted Browne’s comments to BERK for consideration.
During a July 12 public works and health board committee meeting, councilmember Kaylee Galloway began discussion asking the rest of the council if BERK was meeting the council’s request it made last year.
“My question going into today’s discussion is: Do we feel that the BERK report satisfies our needs per the motion that was made last year to conduct it or does it feel like there’s more the report needs to do?” Galloway said. “Be it interview additional people, consider different perspectives, incorporate multiple sides of a story.”
Some councilmembers and county staff opposed the idea of making additional requests and the forwarding of new information before the final review is released.
“I’d like to give the consultants the space to do the final report, potentially without us saying we don’t like the results,” councilmember Todd Donavan said.
Committee chair Kathy Kershner said she doesn’t think councilmembers don’t like the preliminary results and the additional information Browne presented was just forwarded to BERK to be considered.
“I’m a little bit flummoxed as to why Rud Browne was a part of the conversation at your last meeting,” said Erika Lautenbach, Whatcom County Health Department director. “Because, I have to be honest with you, he was a minor player in this. I don’t think any one of us, including me, who was your incident commander for a year and a half, is equipped to provide the ultimate assessment of what occurred during this time.”
According to the contract, the review will cost the county $71,458.

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