GOV. IGE DESIGNATES LT. GOV. GREEN AS ADMINISTRATION’S COVID-19 HEALTHCARE LIAISON

RELATED: Corona Virus Cruise Ship Made Four Stops in Hawaii

News Release from Office of the Governor, Mar 4, 2020

HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige has appointed Lt. Gov. Josh Green as the administration’s liaison between the state and healthcare community as it pertains to COVID-19 preparedness and response, effective immediately.

Currently, there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i — however, the virus is spreading internationally, and suspected community spread in the continental United States emphasizes the need for Hawai‘i to prepare for a potential outbreak.

“As we continue to ramp up our statewide efforts to address the growing COVID-19 threat, we are doing everything in our power to prepare for any possible cases and the resulting impact on our healthcare system,” Ige said. “Because Lt. Gov. Green is a physician, he is uniquely positioned to act as our liaison with healthcare officials across the state.”

Specifically, Green will evaluate the medical community’s readiness to deliver care to individuals who test positive for COVID-19. He will also evaluate the current equipment supply, coordinate efforts to secure additional equipment as needed and advocate for appropriation funding at state and federal levels, in cooperation with Gov. Ige and Hawaii’s congressional delegation.

“Hawai‘i has a robust healthcare community that trains and actively prepares for these situations, but as we face a potential COVID-19 outbreak in Hawai‘i, it’s important to remember our healthcare community is our first line of defense,” said Green. “It’s imperative we do a full evaluation of their current supply and needs to ensure they’re supported and any gaps in preparedness are alleviated. I have a longstanding relationship with many in our healthcare community and look forward to working with them in this capacity.”  

PDF: Hawaii Emergency Proclamation

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Green: Put Corona Virus Quarantine Patients in Leahi Hospital with Nursing Home Patients

SA March 3, 2020: …State officials are considering using Leahi Hospital in Kaimuki to quarantine any people in Hawaii who contract the deadly new coronavirus….

… Officials are also considering other underutilized facilities, including Wahiawa General Hospital, which the state had earlier considered using for individuals with mental illness….

(At risk to nursing home patients, who are the most vulnerable to death from Corona Virus, Green is pushing an agenda based on finding money to renovate buildings and the repurpose them for something else after Corona Virus is done.)

read … Leahi Hospital in Kaimuki being considered as quarantine site for individuals who test positive for coronavirus

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Corona Virus: Dr Josh Green Nowhere in Sight

Cataluna Feb 28, 2020: … It’s all thought out, from the Department of Transportation dealing with rumors every time someone sneezes on a plane to the Department of Health having talking points about why test kits aren’t available yet. The Ige administration is working with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Department of Education … Every possible tool in the state’s arsenal of expertise is being brought to bear to keep Hawaii safe. They’re even talking about hiring Frank De Lima to do PSAs about the virus outbreak. That right there should show you how serious Ige’s administration is taking this.

So where’s Josh Green? …

The lieutenant governor, the guy who steps in as acting governor each and every time Ige travels to Japan, has been conspicuously excluded from Ige’s COVID-19 response team. Green is not only a physician by training, but also a practicing emergency room doctor who sees people in various states of distress. For Green the medical stuff isn’t just academic journals and federal reports; it’s right there in front of him, all runny eyes and hanabata nose, specific and individual and real….

Green has not been included in Ige’s news conferences. He has not been invited to situation updates. It sure looks from the outside like he’s getting the Shan Tsutsui treatment. Green has answered calls from quite a few journalists in town seeking, you know, an actual medical expert to weigh in on the coronavirus situation, but there’s a place where the LG should be standing just behind the governor’s shoulder ready to answer any medically wonky question should the gov toss one his way, and Green is not there….

Green, on the other hand, has stated his intention to run for governor in 2022…

Green came off as such a capable hero when he assembled the team to fly off to Samoa to vaccinate all those folks during the measles outbreak in December….

(Green doesn’t want to be anywhere near the Corona Virus situation in case it goes badly.)

read … Petty politics playing into COVID-19 readiness?