The last-minute save that will allow the St. Joseph County Health Department to hire more workers for its COVID-19 vaccine clinic comes with a sigh of relief â and a head-scratching moment.
Why did one County Council member block a request by the health department, which comes as the state plans to increase the countyâs daily vaccine allotment to 1,000 doses?
Because of council rules, a single vote cast by Councilman Mark Root, R-District I, was enough to keep the request from making it onto Tuesday eveningâs council agenda. It threatened to put off funding for extra workers by at least a month. That spurred Andy Kostielney, president of the County Commissioners, to issue an executive order allowing the department to hire more workers. County officials learned Monday the state would double the health departmentâs supply of vaccine, starting next week.