TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — This was no welcome party arranged for Governor Doug Ducey's visit to Tucson.
"Like other things in Arizona the Governor's complacent, he doesn't care. He that he thinks that what's going on right now is enough and it's not enough, we need to ramp up our efforts to get people vaccinated," said protest organizer, JP Martin.
This group protested Ducey's decision not to accept aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"It seems to me like it's all about Doug Ducey getting credit for things and if he's not going to get the credit, he's not interested in helping people get the shot," said protester, Jenise Porter.
Sharing their message outside, State Health Director, Dr. Cara Christ, shared the state's message inside: no help from FEMA wanted if it means having to use local resources for it.
"There is a significant list of resources that the county, and if not the county, then the state, would have to come up with."
Dr. Christ mentioned facilities to keep vaccines cool as one of those resources.
Back outside Pima County Supervisor, Dr. Matt Heinz told KGUN9 that isn't true according to what he interpreted from FEMA's message.
"As they said in their letter back to Governor Ducey, and the Department of Health Services, saying 'no, no, the things you're saying that we're not going to provide, we really will provide.'"
Back at the Ducey press conference, Dr. Christ said FEMA would have set up their vaccination sites, a process, she argued, that would have taken time.
"By the time we start to get that vaccine we could've gotten it out quicker through this than by the time they set up a site."
The protest lasted about an hour while Governor Ducey was still inside the vaccine site.
