Dr. Charles Chima

Did the City of Sioux Falls Health Director ask for a vaccination mandate for city employees?

I don’t know the answer to that question because obviously there has been NO mandate at this point, and I don’t expect the city’s top employee manager, Mayor TenHaken, a (closet) right-winger, to mandate one. I believe he could do so by executive order, but lacks the spine to do it.

Several of my city moles have told me that Dr. Chima, the Health Director, did ask that the city has a vaccination mandate. If that is true, he was obviously denied, which is no surprise.

I have also heard from people visiting Falls Community Health that many people working at the clinic don’t wear masks even though the CDC requires a clinic receiving Federal money should require the employees to wear masks. Supposedly one person working at the clinic was asked wear their mask was and they said, “The mayor said I don’t have to wear one.”

I wonder how the CDC and Medicare would feel about that and future Federal funding of the clinic?

I find this concerning, because this place does receive Federal and Local tax dollars, and common sense would tell you that when working in a medical clinic you should be wearing a mask. The private clinics require it and follow CDC guidelines. Heck, Burger King employees even still wear masks.

I fully support vaccination mandates for taxpayer funded employees. As major employers like Sanford and Tyson Foods have proven, compliance is over 95%. Mandates work and the handful of employees you would lose wouldn’t be missed. Maybe the city has $49 million laying around for severance 🙁

City of Sioux Falls taps Nigerian Doctor for new health director

I’m actually pretty excited about Dr. Chima coming to our city, especially his views on preventative care. This podcast gives us a hint of his thought process.

I also believe that he will be welcomed by our immigrant community and the healthcare community.

I do have concerns though, some are obvious, some are not.

First, it is safe to assume Dr. Chima was selected through a national search conducted by the city’s health board. It is probably safe to say that the mayor’s office and HR department had little to do with the selection, but I’m sure they had to put their stamps on it. I’m sure we will hear more about that in the coming weeks.

My biggest concerns are how he will be accepted by our Healthcare industrial complex in the city that thrives on keeping people just sick enough so they make money which goes against his philosophy of wholistic care and preventative medicine. This of course is not just a problem in our community but across America and why healthcare in this nation is so expensive and really not that good.

I also am concerned how he will operate openly in a very closed city government. Science and medicine performs the best under trust and honesty.

Lastly, I am concerned about the bigots in our city that won’t give him a chance. I think HE can handle it, but I am not naive, he will have some enormous obstacles to overcome when it comes to racism.

I wish him luck, I think he will be transformative, if we will let him.