Coronavirus

Baker, Head of Mass. Vaccine Site to Testify First in COVID Vaccine Rollout Hearing

Also due to testify at the Legislature's hearing on Thursday are legislators, the CEOs of some Bay State health care companies, doctors, advocates and city and state health officials

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When the Massachusetts Legislature's COVID-19 and Emergency Management and Preparedness Committee holds its vaccine rollout oversight hearing on Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker will take the floor first.

The hearing's schedule was released Wednesday, and shows that Baker will be the first to testify at 11 a.m., followed by Tiffany Tate, the executive director of company that runs PrepMod.

PrepMod is a pandemic vaccine management software system. It's taken responsibility for last week's crash of Massachusetts' vaccine-booking website.

The Massachusetts vaccination finder website was "experiencing technical difficulties," Thursday morning as about one million people became newly eligible to get the vaccine for the first time.

Also due to testify at the Legislature's hearing -- to be held virtually -- are legislators, the CEOs of some Bay State health care companies, doctors, advocates and city and state health officials including Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts' secretary of health and human services. (See the full list below.)

Lawmakers have raised questions about the state's technology, the lack of ability to preregister for a shot and the decision to stop distributing vaccine to local clinics in favor of high-capacity vaccination sites.

House Speaker Ron Mariano has said the vaccine rollout "has been marked by both logistical and communications shortcomings" and Senate President Karen Spilka called it a "constantly changing and confusing" plan.

Here's the full schedule, as released by the Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management:

  • 11 a.m.:
    • Governor Charlie Baker
  • 12 p.m.:
    • Tiffany Tate, Executive Director, Maryland Partnership for Prevention, Inc.
  • 12:30 p.m.:
    • Mike Festa, State Director, AARP Massachusetts
    • Sandra Harris, State President, AARP Massachusetts
  • 1 p.m.:
    • Senator Sonia Chang Diaz, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights
      and Inclusion
    • Representative Bud Williams, House Chair, Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil
      Rights and Inclusion
    • Gladys Vega, Executive Director, La Collaborativa
    • Dr. Atiya Martin, Founder, All Aces, Inc
    • Possible Additional Panelist TBD
  • 2 p.m.:
    • Senator Cindy Friedman, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing
    • Representative John Lawn, House Chair, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing
    • Dr. Kevin Tabb, President and CEO, Beth Israel Lahey Health
    • Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, CEO, Lynn Community Health Center
    • Keith Hovan, President and CEO, Southcoast Health
  • 3 p.m.:
    • Dr. Thea James, Vice President of Mission and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Boston
      Medical Center
    • Representative Marjorie Decker, House Chair, Joint Committee on Public Health
    • Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Professor, Harvard Medical School
    • Meredith O’Leary, Public Health Director, City of Northampton
  • 4 p.m.:
    • Marylou Sudders, Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services
    • Dr. Monica Bharel, Commissioner, Department of Public Health
    • Kevin Cranston, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Public Health
    • Jana Ferguson, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Public Health

NBC/State House News Service
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