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The University of Florida, CJC Online, Public Affairs Communication MMC5648.
This week, I’ve chosen to unpack the January 2021 public fail of the vaccine distribution company, Philly Fighting COVID, and the subsequent loss of trust created by the city of Philadelphia’s inexplicable selection of a 22-year-old CEO, Andrei Doroshin, to run Philadelphia’s first mass vaccination clinic.
The series of events culminating with Philly Fighting COVID’s cessation of activity reads like an outline of the 5 stages of an issues-life-cycle. From gestation failures, resistance to industry criteria, poorly conceived reactive strategies, reckless media statements by the CEO, and public refusal to accept responsibility or apologize authentically, Philly Fighting COVID’s actions read like a playbook of what NOT to do for successful issues management.
Add to this, the “uninvited guest” of social media. The phrase “If you didn't Snapchat it, did it actually happen?” was never more appropriate.
At 8 pm on January 23rd, 2021, a damning photo of Doroshin circulated to dozens of Snapchat users, displaying the image of the CEO holding a syringe over a seated person on off-site premises.
Earlier that same day, a registered nurse volunteer witnessed Doroshin place a dozen unused vaccination shots into his bag. At first, the CEO called these claims “baseless,” but in an interview with The Today Show on January 28th, Doroshin admitted to having taken vaccine doses out of the clinic, which he then administered to his friends.
"Waiting for the Jab" Cartoonist Dre Reed's take on Philly Fighting COVID scandal.
More concern arose when it was discovered that Philly Fighting COVID had quietly changed its corporate status from nonprofit to a for-profit entity called Vax Populi Inc.
The change allowed PFC to alter its privacy policy to sell patients' data.
A further concern about PFC wrong-doing has now grown to include the company’s lack of alignment with vaccine priority schedules, open website accessibility for vaccine registration leading to “line-jumping,” appointment overbooking resulting in elderly residents arriving at the Convention Center only to be turned away, and a clinic staffed with 20-year old non-medical students who legally require the supervision of a (non-existent) on-site medical professional.
Formed in spring 2020, Philly Fighting COVID began as a Drexel University student-run manufacturing group that printed 3D PPE for health care professionals. The organization went on to successfully erect one of the largest citywide coronavirus testing operations, serving more than 20,000 people. However, the testing sites were abandoned overnight, literally leaving people standing out in the cold, while the company suddenly swiveled to take advantage of the opportunity to become the city’s first mass vaccine distributor.
Rocketing into position for this opportunity in just nine months’ time, Philly Fighting COVID was suddenly forced to shut down a mere 3 weeks after their vaccination clinic opened on January 8, 2021.
On January 28, 2021, Drexel University President, John Fry, clarified that Drexel University has no connection with PFC, adding that “Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions made arrangements with Philly Fighting COVID for nursing students to use the vaccination site for clinical rotations, but that never transpired”.
Philly Fighting COVID must now cope with the broken trust of its stakeholders: Philadelphia residents, private investors, and city officials.
The first city official to resign over the scandal was Caroline Johnson, Philadelphia’s acting deputy health commissioner. On Jan. 29, local state legislators also called for health commissioner Farley to resign over the department’s relationship with PFC and pushed for a further internal investigation.
In the aftermath, Philly Fighting COVID’s CEO addressed private investors by sending donors an email that only served to deepen mistrust. Bill Wohl, an early donor to Philly Fighting COVID, replied publicly to Doroshin’s email, voicing his concerns.
“Where are you saying that you apologize for letting down the donors who believed in you? Where is the acceptance you made real and clearly documented mistakes? Where is the note to me … to explain the mysterious decision to move from nonprofit to for-profit?” - Bill Wohl
Despite this, Doroshin remains unapologetic, claiming that the city is merely using him as a scapegoat.
Having previously held the unenviable position of advising on distasteful administrative action, as a PA professional working for Philly Fighting COVID, my thoughts would be carefully structured to outline proactive issue-shaping strategies that highlight opportunities to strengthen PFC’s bargaining position. To break through the CEO’s resistance, recommendations must look to increase income potential and win back public trust. Any changes in procedure would be symbolic, at best. Possible recommendations:
Redefine the for-profit status change as the best and fastest course to assist stakeholders.
Comply with city officials to adopt personal information security policies.
Contain further harmful social media by eliminating the CEO’s off-the-cuff media interviews.
Prevent issue expansion by acknowledging mistakes and clearly outlining steps to rectify the issues.
Defuse public interest group pressure with a symbolic action: proudly announce the creation of an oversight committee.
Collaborate with expert medical consultants and business advisors to improve company image (and mission alignment).
Mollify stakeholders and private investors: apologize authentically, acknowledge mistakes, and address start-up funding recovery.
Not unlike Donald Trump, Doroshin presented himself as a slick and ambitious entrepreneur, while possessing no knowledge or prior experience in his assumed role.
The city officials of Philadelphia selected a self-promoting, media-savvy “whiz kid” who promised to “think out-of-the-box” and speed up vaccine distribution by getting rid of unnecessary paperwork.
On The Today Show, Doroshin proudly announced, “We took the entire [vaccine] model and just threw it out the window. We said to hell with all of that. We’re going to completely build on a new model that is based on a factory.”
But there are some things worth doing slowly, deliberately, and with qualified, professional staff.
When will we learn from our mistakes?
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