PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city's partnership with Philly Fighting COVID lacked procedural safeguards, but Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley was found to have acted appropriately, according to a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released on Monday.
The 17-page report is the result of dozens of interviews, fielded complaints and emails. It lays out the six-month relationship between the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Philly Fighting COVID (PFC).
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The OIG found the initial COVID-19 testing contract, awarded to the nonprofit back in July, was reasonable, having been properly vetted. However, they say, red flags, including complaints, slow and sloppy invoicing, and unprofessional behavior from 22-year-old PFC CEO and graduate student Andrei Doroshin, should have given city officials pause when deciding whether to allow the group to administer vaccinations.
“That was a significant failure,” said Inspector General Alex DeSantis. “There was virtually no vetting, no research, no investigation.”
The OIG report said Farley acted appropriately, given what he knew, and did not violate any laws or any vaccination or contracting process regulations.
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The report recommends trainings for employees involved in the contracting process, as well as more transparency on the allocation of the vaccine.
“I believe the findings of the report of the inspector general accurately reflect the mistakes that were made,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “This is a case of bad decisions made in the midst of a lengthy and constantly evolving crisis.”
“This incident has hurt the image of the Department of Public Health and we are working hard to regain that trust,” added Farley. “Decisions that were once made by one or two or three people are being brought to a much larger group in a more structured way.”