WHEN: TODAY, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH
WHERE: CNBC'S "THE CALL"
Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, on CNBC's "The Call."
All references must be sourced to CNBC.
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REGAN: WELL, THE CRITICISM HAS MOUNTED SINCE I FIRST BROKE THE NEWS THAT SOME OF NEW YORK CITY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL COMPANIES HAVE RECEIVED SWINE FLU VACCINES AHEAD OF CITY HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS TRYING TO TREAT THEIR HIGH-RISK PATIENTS. THE OUTRAGE HAS EVEN REACHED THE WHITE HOUSE WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NOW LOOKING FOR ANSWERS AFTER SEEING THE REPORT THE CDC SENT A LETTER TO ALL THE STATES DEMANDING THAT THE STATES REVIEW THEIR PLANS IMMEDIATELY. OUR QUESTION HERE IS, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL THAT PROVIDED VACCINES TO EMPLOYERS LIKE GOLDMAN SACHS AND CITIGROUP BEFORE MAKING SURE THAT EVERY HOSPITAL AND DOCTOR HAD ENOUGH -- HAS ENOUGH TO TREAT THEIR HIGH-RISK PATIENTS? JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IN HIS FIRST LIVE INTERVIEW, A FIRST ON CNBC, IS NEW YORK CITY HEALTH COMMISSIONER DR. THOMAS FARLEY. WELCOME, DR. FARLEY. GOOD MORNING.
FARLEY: THANK YOU.
REGAN: YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTROVERSY, SO LET ME ASK YOU, WHY DO SOME COMPANIES HAVE ACCESS TO VACCINES WHILE PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND OR SECURE A SWINE FLU SHOT --
FARLEY: I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOME WOULD BE ANGRY WITH THAT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO EXPLAIN OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM. WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED VACCINE TO OVER 1,4 00 PROVIDERS, OVER 800,000 DOSES AND OUR FIRST STEP WAS TO PEDIATRICIAN, HOSPITALS, OBSTETRICIANS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS AFTER A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEM HAVING RECEIVED THE FIRST SUPPLY OF VACCINE, WE BRANCHED OUT TO PROVIDERS WHO PROVIDE THEM TO ADULTS, INCLUDING INTERNISTS AND FAMILY PRACTICE TECHNICIANS AS WELL AS EMPLOYEE HEALTH CENTERS, A SMALL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEE HEALTH CENTERS, AND THEY ARE A LEGITIMATE AND VALUABLE WAY TO GET VACCINE TO PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK, AND EVERYONE WHO RECEIVES THIS VACCINE HAS TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT THAT THEY ONLY GIVE IT TO PEOPLE WHO MEET THE RISK CRITERIA SPECIFIED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL.
REGAN: I GUESS PART OF THE CONCERN WAS IN THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, BECAUSE IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAVE GOLDMAN SACHS, CITI, TIME WARNER, THEY'VE GOTTEN THE SWINE FLU VACCINE, AND THEY CAN ADMINISTER THEM TO EMPLOYEES, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHEN HOSPITALS STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO TREAT PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN, THAT'S AN ISSUE, BECAUSE CHANCES ARE YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO FIND MORE HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS AT A HOSPITAL THAN YOU WOULD, SAY, AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, WHICH IS ANOTHER RECIPIENT OF THE VACCINES.
FARLEY: THEY'RE HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ACCESSING PROVIDERS AT ALL SITES. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE IF YOU HAVE AN EMPLOYER WHO HAS 5,000 EMPLOYEES, AT LEAST 10% OR 20% OF THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL BE AT HIGH RISK. HAVING DIABETES HEART DISEASE OR PREGNANCY THIS IS ONE WAY TO REACH THEM. ONE THING WE KNOW IS FOR SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINE, AMONG PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 50, A QUARTER OF THEM GET THE VACCINE AT WORK SITES, SO THEY'RE WELL-ESTABLISHED SITES TO GIVE OUT INFLUENZA VACCINES.ALL THE HOSPITALS IN THE CITY HAVE RECEIVED VACCINE AND AS THEY USED IT UP, WE CAN CONTINUE TO RESUPPLY THEM --
REGAN: WELL I CAN TELL YOU MY HOSPITAL I'M ACTUALLY ABOUT SIX WEEKS AGO FROM DELIVERING TWINS AND MY HOSPITAL DOES NOT HAVE ANY VACCINES FOR THEIR PREGNANT WOMEN. WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARING THIS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY, DON'T YOU THINK THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT, THAT PERHAPS THE DISTRIBUTION CHANGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN NEW YORK CITY SO THAT YOU MADE SURE EVERY DOCTOR, EVERY HOSPITAL HAD WHAT THEY NEEDED BEFORE GOING OUT TO CORPORATE AMERICA?
FARLEY: WE'RE NOT DISTRIBUTING THE VACCINE TO CORPORATIONS, WE'RE DISTRIBUTING THEM TO MEDICAL PROVIDERS, TO CLINICS. THAT INCLUDES CLINICS THAT ARE INTERNISTS WHO HAVE OPENED OFFICES AS WELL AS CLINICS THAT SERVE WORK SITES. THE WORK SITES ARE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PROVIDERS THAT RECEIVE VACCINE. 94% OF OUR VACCINE WENT TO PEDIATRICIANS, TO HOSPITALS, TO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. ONLY 6% WENT TO PROVIDERS WHO PROVIDE VACCINES TO ADULT AND THE EMPLOYEE GROUP IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THAT. AS FAR AS PREGNANT WOMEN --
REGAN: ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU I KNOW THE CDC SENT A LETTER OUT, THEY CONTACTED YOU YESTERDAY AFTER OUR REPORT, AND I WANT TO QUOTE FROM THAT LETTER. THEY SAID THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL STATES, QUOTE, ENSURE THAT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DOSES ARE DELIVERED TO THOSE AT GREATEST RISK AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TO CHANGE YOUR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM RIGHT NOW?
FARLEY: WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS ARE PROVIDING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK AS DESCRIBED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AS VACCINE COMES IN, WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS WHO RECEIVE VACCINE, AND AS THEY USE UP THE VACCINE, WE'LL GIVE THEM MORE. WE'RE GETTING MORE EVERY DAY AND WE EXPECT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS WHO PROVIDE VACCINATION TO ADULTS.
REGAN: OKAY. I CERTAINLY HOPE YOU DO. I CAN JUST SHARE A LITTLE ANECDOTE WITH YOU MY HOSPITAL TOLD ME YESTERDAY THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO GET THE VACCINE.THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TELLING THEIR PATIENTS.
FARLEY: CAN I SAY ONE THING ABOUT PREGNANCY? WE HAVE ABOUT 2,400 OBSTETRICIANS IN NEW YORK CITY, ONLY 65 OF THOSE HAVE REQUESTED VACCINES FROM US, SO A LOT OF PREGNANT WOMEN CAN'T GET IT THROUGH THEIR OBSTETRICIANS TRIES.WE'RE MAKING IT AVAILABLE TO GO TO OUR CLINICS STARTING TOMORROW THAT WERE OTHERWISE SET ASIDE FOR CHILDREN, TO TRY TO DEAL WITH THAT PROBLEM SO THEY CAN HAVE GREATER ACCESS.
REGAN: THANK YOU, DOCTOR.
FARLEY: THANK YOU.
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