Wesley Holden
On a scale of “Strongly Agree” (5) to “Strongly Disagree,” (1) rank your position on the following statements:
Vaccines are safe: 5
Vaccines are effective at preventing disease: 5
Keeping children safe is a shared responsibility: 5
What is your position on West Virginia’s current school vaccine requirements (which allow only medical exemptions)?
Maintain current requirements
In your view, what role should the state play in ensuring access to vaccines—especially in rural or underserved communities?
I believe, the state should not leave access to chance. It should guarantee a reliable supply, fund mobile clinics and county health departments, reimburse local pharmacies, and providers for travel and time, make vaccines free at the point of service for the uninsured. it should also partner with schools, churches, senior centers and volunteer EMS to bring clinics closer to home and provide clear, honest information. Access is the state's responsibility. The medical decision belongs to the patient and their physician. My job is to remove distance, cost, and confusion so every West Virginian has a fair chance to choose prevention.
Which of the following best reflects your understanding?
Vaccines primarily protect the individual receiving them
Vaccines help protect both individuals and the broader community
Vaccination is largely a personal decision with limited community impact
Vaccination is a personal decision regardless of community impact
If a preventable disease outbreak (such as measles) occurred in your district, what actions—if any—would you take as a policymaker (e.g., make a statement regarding safety, coordinate with public health officials, take policy actions, encourage vaccination, etc.
If a preventable disease outbreak hit my community, I would speak clearly, calmly, and with accurate information from our county health department and state public health officials. My job in a public statement is to tell people what we know, where to get help, and how to protect their families and to point them to trusted local nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, not rumors. As an elected official, I would encourage vaccinations, I would take practical policy vaccinations: authorize emergency funding for mobile clinics in remote areas, ensure vaccines are free at the point of service, expand hours at county health departments, coordinate with schools, churches, and volunteer EMS to host clinics closer to home. provide plain language updates through local radio, newspapers, and senior centers. The goal is to make the right choice the easy choice by removing distance, cost and confusion.
Is there anything else you would like West Virginia voters to know about your approach to public health, community wellbeing, and/or vaccines?
I see public health as a partnership, not a top-down mandate. The state's job is to make sure every community has the basics: reliable access to preventive care, vaccines, and screenings, strong county health departments and support for our volunteer EMS, local pharmacies, and rural clinics, that are often the only care for miles. My bottom line is simple: protect lives and never let a zip code decide your health. I would like to add that a a Vietnam Veteran, upon entering the U.S. Army's basic training, during my first several days, I received multiple vaccinations. Before leaving the U.S., I received additional vaccinations. then I think back as a child in elementary school, I received my polio tests and sugar vaccines. As a result, I felt very safe from being infected by whatever diseases I would come in contact with. Today there is news and concerns about Ebola outbreaks. As a nation and a state, we must protect the public at all costs from new diseases entering our country and state.
