Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

On Aug. 9, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a mandate requiring that certain employees must receive a COVID-19 vaccination in order to work in certain jobs. Employees who do not comply will be fired.

This vaccination mandate puts our small rural hospitals and long-term care facilities at great risk. The health care administrators of these rural medical facilities are heroes who have worked long and hard to provide us with top-quality service during these difficult and uncertain times. They have successfully navigated funding challenges, coped with safety requirements that sometimes changed daily and...