Ernst discusses COVID response, infrastructure plans

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, spoke with local leaders last week about President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan and federal law enforcement bills, as well as their individual responses to the pandemic and other subsequent challenges they faced this past year.

Becky Pryor, administrator of the Jasper County Health Department, told Ernst about 15,000 of the county’s 37,000 residents have received the vaccination.

Considering the amount of children living in the county — who have not been cleared to receive shots for COVID-19 just yet — Pryor estimates 50 percent of the county’s eligible population has been vaccinated through area clinics and pharmacies. Pryor said it’s “exciting times” to get everyone vaccinated.

“It’s starting to drop off a little bit right now,” she said. “… The harder-to-reach people are the ones that we’re working towards to get vaccinated.”

Ernst asked what Pryor thought was the main reason residents would resist vaccinations. Pryor suggested many people have strong opinions about the vaccine and believe it developed too soon. Trying to communicate the advantages and correct the misinformation has been a challenge.

Chad Kelley, director of ancillary services at MercyOne Newton Medical Center, praised Pryor and her small team at the Jasper County Health Department for maintaining communications with the hospital and all the different entities. Especially during the first wave of the pandemic.

“We weren’t equipped with the equipment to take care of patients (with COVID-19), from ventilators and all of that,” Kelley said. “But by the time the second wave came we were able to keep and care for over 100 patients.”

MercyOne Newton had a separate, isolated COVID wing and a full stock of personal protective equipment by then.

“We got through it, and we’re still getting through it,” Kelley said.

The pandemic proved to be a “significant challenge” for the Newton hospital. Staffing is always an issue at hospitals, Kelley said, but the pandemic only exacerbated the problem. Despite the challenges, the frontline workers put their masks on and got to work.

Kelley stressed the importance of having a hospital in a rural, older community like Jasper County. A rural hospital is pivotal to any community, he said, for jobs and for partnerships. If MercyOne Newton wasn’t here, Kelley said it would stress local EMS crews to transport patients to Des Moines more often.

Law enforcement responds to COVID-19

First responders were already facing their fair share of challenges. Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess said his officers were tasked by city and county leaders to enforce COVID-19 violations, the rules of which changed very rapidly. Burdess said the police department didn’t know how to tackle it.

“The default was you don’t enforce it or you take a very soft stance, because there’s a balance there,” Burdess told Ernst at the roundtable discussion. “We knew businesses were shut down, but people have to make money. So we know there were businesses working under the radar.

“How — as a community law enforcement agency — do you go in there and tell a family business, ‘You gotta shut down.’ That was some of the pressures we were put on early on. For law enforcement operations, we just masked up and put our PPE on and went to work. We didn’t have a choice.”

Through “great coordination” with fellow law enforcement groups, the Newton Police Department developed how it would respond to the pandemic and track outbreaks. Officers were learning as they go. Burdess said one positive that came out of the pandemic was crime in Newton dropped.

“But in the same sense we saw a lot of our social issues increase,” he said. “Alcoholism, mental health issues, homelessness. We saw all that increase. Although crime was down that didn’t mean we weren’t responding to other types of incidents that actually increased.”

Newton Mayor Mike Hansen said the city’s fire chief saw more “calls for rescue,” in which a person was not necessarily injured but rather was facing a mental health conflict or crisis. Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said he and his deputies had weekly and sometimes daily briefings.

“The information, at times, was overwhelming,” Halferty said. “The governor’s proclamations and the CDC guidelines. It was a challenge … We were trying to sift and sort through that information and make the best decision of our partners. We had to change protocols often.”

One protocol that was unpopular at times, he added, was limiting the amount of inmates coming into the Jasper County Jail.

“Most jails in the state of Iowa are long-term health care facilities,” Halferty said. “Because most of those inmates that come in have complex issues and health issues and they’re on medications. And we’re in a confined space.”

Two instances where inmates tested positive for COVID-19 forced the sheriff’s office and jail to take additional measures. Halferty said a challenge now is finding a place other than jail for people who are homeless or have a mental illness to stay and receive treatment or assistance.

“That is not a place for people with mental health issues,” Halferty said.

Burdess said new bills like the JUSTICE Act and George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that are being worked on right now will have very little impact on the departments that are doing the right thing already. Burdess is open to reform, but he stressed the importance of maintaining qualified immunity.

Some critics argue qualified immunity — designed to “shield officials from harassment, distraction and liability when they perform their duties reasonably” — does not hold members of law enforcement accountable. Burdess said he is concerned about the future of the profession and the safety of communities.

“Simply because the political challenges that we are facing right now,” Burdess said. “We have become the sacrificial lamb for failed mental health systems, failed substance abuse systems — you name it.”

Halferty said people need to better understand what qualified immunity means.

“I don’t get off scot free,” Halferty said. “…If I’m outside my policy and my procedures, I’m not guaranteed immunity. It’s incredibly important to push that. Chief Burdess is right. We get maybe 10 percent of the applications we got six to 10 years ago. And of that we get maybe one or two qualified candidates.”

Halferty also said law enforcement should be trusted to take care of its problems.

“We will discipline and we will suspend and terminate when we need to,” Halferty said. “Trust your police agencies to do so. But we will also commend them when they do a very (good) job, which they have done over the last 12 months.”

County operations nearly back to normal

Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott commended the courthouse employees whose operations had changed drastically since the pandemic. He also said the county board of supervisors was “pretty good” about allowing the different offices to determine for themselves what they needed to do.

However, Parrott lamented the “biggest problem” during that time was the tense political environment, which had divided the public during a time of crisis.

“We can handle crises,” Parrott said of Americans. “But when politics gets involved we’re at a loss. And I think that was a big part of it.”

Ernst added, “It was a tough year on that front.”

Aside from the political issues, Parrott said the business operations in the courthouse is returning back to normal. The treasurer’s office is probably the slowest to return, the county auditor said. As is the driver’s license and motor vehicle department, which regularly meets in-person with customers.

Because the pandemic is still in effect, customers are restricted from accessing the offices on crowds and must wait in the lobby. Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma told Ernst the DMV staff that wanted the vaccine have received it, but the county treasurer is hesitant to fully open the department.

“Temporarily, (Jasper County Treasurer Doug Bishop)’s still going to be doing appointment-only for driver’s licenses because the second he opens it up he’ll be opening up the flood gates for people from Polk County, Marion, Poweshiek,” Talsma said. “… But he’s going to ease up on the restrictions.”

Leaders reflect on president’s infrastructure plan

Ernst shared her concerns with Biden’s infrastructure plan, mainly in regards to more money being allocated for electric vehicles than roads and bridges. The senator mentioned how another infrastructure bill came out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

“Which is a committee I sit on,” she said. “And we looked at the infrastructure package … and it passed out of that committee 21-0, meaning every Democrat and every Republican supported it. And we felt that was really important work. There was give and take in that bill.”

The bill was built on further in a Republican plan presented by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia. Ernst said there are some Democrats more interested in that plan — which she claimed focuses on more traditional infrastructure — than Biden’s plan.

“The overall price tag right now is $568 billion,” Ernst said, noting that taxes are not being raised to provide for that amount. “… We found a way to pay for it within existing revenues. So that’s a good thing. That’s a solid plan. That’s where we should be starting.”

Talsma asked if Ernst thinks the Republican plan will get the support it needs to pass over Biden’s plan, of which he has “some serious concerns about.” Talsma claimed the county would “most likely” lose funding from the president’s infrastructure plan.

“Jasper County has over 1,100 miles of roads, that’s not including the state highways running through,” he said. “Every single year I have more and more bridges failing inspection. We can’t keep up with it. The county itself has increased spending for secondary roads … to help bolster it.”

Ernst replied, “I think you’re right to be concerned about it. Not only the implications to our rural areas (and) the county, but also the fact that we actually do have to turn around and raise taxes to pay for this infrastructure plan that’s being promoted.”

There is a heavy hit to agriculture in that proposed plan, too, Ernst added. However, the senator is confident the Republican plan would have more support, but may have to increase the price tag and add support for electric vehicles “to accommodate some Democrats.”

“I think our plan is much more reasonable,” Ernst said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com