Dori: Gov. Inslee’s office responds to cancer patient denied treatment

Earlier this week, a Western Washington woman with advancing brain and ovarian cancer came on The Dori Monson Show after Gov. Jay Inslee’s statewide emergency order denied her health care services.

Dori: Woman battling brain cancer denied surgery by Inslee’s ban

After hearing the excruciating details of her tumors, nausea, fatigue and pain, Dori told Angee and her husband that their interview would be sent directly to the governor’s office.

Here is the response that we received from press secretary Mike Faulk, on behalf of Gov. Inslee’s office:

I have no doubt people are suffering unfairly right now as Omicron rages, but it’s because of the pandemic.

The governor’s pause was taken because doctors and hospitals repeatedly told us – and made very public calls, so perhaps you should talk to them too – that they were nearing a crisis situation and needed immediate action. The proclamation states the restriction on non-urgent surgeries will last through Feb. 17. The pause was one of several actions taken, including deployment of the National Guard, that only apply to hospital facilities. There are other medical facilities that can still offer non-urgent surgeries.

The proclamation does not direct hospital boards to make these decisions. It does leave it up to doctors, unless the hospital chooses to have this decided by committee. That’s the hospital’s choice, not the governor’s.

One-third of state ICU occupancy right now is for people with severe COVID. People are dying every day in this state from COVID. It’s overwhelming our health systems, and it’s all happening because not enough people are getting vaccinated. There’s too much pain to go around right now because of the pandemic, and that’s why hard decisions are being made.

Thanks.

 

Mike Faulk

Deputy Communications Director/Press Secretary | Office of Governor Jay Inslee

According to Dori Monson Show sources, the governor’s office did not respond directly to cancer patient Angee or her family as of Jan. 27, 2022.

Listen to Dori’s original interview with cancer patient Angee here:

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.