MONTICELLO — After hearing concerns from several camp operators during an emergency meeting of the Legislature on Thursday, the board unanimously passed Public Health Order #1 of 2024, not before debating and making amendments to the resolution. The legislature took into consideration what they heard from camp operators the day prior. 

Since the order was passed, all 170 permitted summer camp operators in Sullivan County will have to comply with the regulation of attendance at summer camps for campers based on evidence of all vaccines listed by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee. 

The required vaccines are Diphtheria and Tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine, Pertussis vaccine (whooping cough), Hepatitis B vaccine, Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR), Polio vaccine, Meningitis vaccine and Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. The resolution also states that an exclusion list of under and unvaccinated campers must be kept on record for inspection by Public Health staff in the event of exposure to an infectious individual. 

The resolution also states that, according to NYS Immunization Information Services (NYSIIS), Sullivan County has historically low vaccination rates with 64.4 percent of children having one MMR vaccine by the age of two. 

The resolution first went through the Health and Human Services Committee which had unfinished business after it had tabled the Public Health Order last week. 

In the amended version presented by District 9 Legislator Terry Blosser-Bernardo, the biggest change was excluding staff and volunteers in the regulation of vaccines and only including campers. Also added was that the Sullivan County Department of Public Health determined that it is willing and able to provide vaccinations to children’s camp staff by connecting staff with a Federally Qualified Health Center or pharmacy. This portion of the resolution, however, is not mandated but recommended.  

Also attached to the back of the amended resolution per District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips’ request was the recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule from the CDC for individuals ages 18 or younger. The District 3 Legislator said that having the immunization schedule attached to the resolution will help the public stay educated and informed on the issue.

This amended version of the resolution went through to the full board by a vote of 4-1, with District 5 Legislator and chair of the committee Cat Scott the only one to vote no. 

The reason that Scott gave for voting no was that she feels that staff should be included and referenced a 2019 letter issued to camp owners by the Department of Health (DOH) regarding preventing measles amid one of the largest outbreaks in the state since 1989. There were 19 confirmed cases of measles in Sullivan County in 2019 and 426 in New York State, according to the resolution drafted. 

“In this letter, the Department of Health suggested to the camps that the best protection against measles is broad vaccination coverage,” said Scott. 

The letter read by Scott stated, “Therefore vaccinations of all individuals who will be working in or attending summer camp is strongly recommended.”

The letter also stated that the DOH recommended two doses of measles vaccines for all campers and camp staff born on or after January 1, 1957. 

“So in 2019, the state, while not mandating it,” Scott said, “highly recommended that this happen to mitigate what was an ongoing outbreak.”

Scott also referenced that in 2019, the legislature passed a Public Health Order to require camp staff to have the MMR vaccine.

“I think we are opening ourselves up to liability, should there be an outbreak,” she said. “If there is an outbreak of measles in this county, our public health pays for that.”

While there was opposition to this amended version of the resolution, the legislature decided to pass it through unanimously to take a step in the right direction. 

“I would rather have something in place than nothing at all,” said Brian McPhillips. “Getting at least the children under the vaccination requirement is important and a good step to set us up for the immunity level that we need.”

District 2 Legislator and Chair Nadia Rajsz said that they should start the process of putting the Public Health Order in place earlier, by October or November, to give the camp operators more time to comply. 

“There is still a great risk to everyone in this county and the risk is still there if staff is not included,” Scott said. 

In voting for the resolution in full board, Scott said that she still objects to staff not being included, but voted yes for the greater good of the community so that at least something is in place.