Initiative aims to boost vaccine rates
Several south suburbs getting extra attention to eliminate disparities
South suburban communities of color hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic are getting special attention from Cook County public health officials as access to vaccines broadens.
Health officials have identified 32 suburbs, where vaccination rates are lagging, as part of an initiative that will include setting aside vaccination appointment times for residents who live in those communities, assisting residents in scheduling appointments and providing transportation to those unable to get to vaccination sites.
The county’s public health department is also preparing to bring vaccines and administer them at sites such as senior housing centers, according to an official.
The program involves community-based organizations and private health providers that already work with populations eligible for the vaccine but who might not yet have registered for appointments, according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer and co-lead of the Cook County Department of Public Health.
Southland communities that are
part of the effort include Blue Island, Calumet Park, Chicago Heights, Dixmoor, Dolton, Markham, Posen, Riverdale and Robbins.
On average, 21% of residents of any particular Cook County suburb have gotten their initial dose of the vaccine, while just under 11% have received both doses, according to the health department.
In some south suburbs, the percentage getting the initial dose is in the single digits, and the county’s aim is to get those numbers higher.
“We just started last week and it has been pretty successful so far,” Rubin said Wednesday of the initiative, noting percentages of residents getting their first dose have risen.
In deciding which communities to concentrate vaccination efforts, the county used what it calls the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index which considers factors such as community demographics, preexisting health conditions of residents, access to transportation and health care.
Rubin said that numbers of COVID19 cases and COVID-19 related deaths were also figured into the equation.
According to the county, about 70% of suburban Cook County residents age 65 and older have gotten at least their initial vaccine dose.
The county moved Monday to Phase 1b+, which expands eligibility to those residents 16 and older who have underlying medical conditions including cancer, kidney disease and diabetes.
Rubin said that community-based organizations and health care providers are in the best position to reach out to residents to who are eligible for vaccination but might not have yet registered or scheduled an appointment.
“The community organizations are in the best position to reach out to their own constituencies and walk someone through the process,” she said.
Getting to a vaccination site can be a challenge for some, Rubin said.
“We are working on arrangements to try to provide some transportation options for people who don’t have access to get to vaccine sites,” she said.
Vaccination rates vary among the south suburbs that are part of the county’s initiative.
In Robbins, 17% of residents, not far off the suburban Cook County average, have so far received their initial dose, and nearly 10% have received both shots, according to the county. That might be partly due to the fact the county health department has a clinic in the suburb.
In Dixmoor, however, fewer than 5% of residents had received the first shot and a little more than 2% had received both doses, according to the county.
In Harvey, a little more than 8% of residents in that city had gotten an initial dose and just under 4% had gotten both shots, according to the county. In South Holland, however, 19% of eligible residents had gotten their first shot and nearly 10% had completed both doses.
The county is also working to set up mobile vaccination sites at large work sites, homeless shelters, senior centers and other locations, Rubin said.
At the same time, health officials are combating a certain level of distrust in the vaccine in Black and brown communities.
“There is a well-deserved distrust in government and health care systems because of historically racist practices,” Dr. Kiran Joshi, senior medical officer and co-lead with the county’s health department, said in a news release announcing the initiative.
Rubin said she believes the tide is turning as far as skepticism in communities of color, and for the broader population, as to the effectiveness of the vaccine.
“As time has gone by, more and more people are wanting to have the vaccine in part because neighbors or friend have had it and they see it is safe and effective,” she said. “Eventually, confidence will grow.”
But as eligibility for the vaccine widens, supply is still constrained, and that is going to continue to result in frustration among those who want to get the shot but face obstacles in setting up an appointment, Rubin said.
“We keep hearing promises we are going to get more,” she said. “From week to week we don’t know what the ultimate supply will be. We really want people to just be patient.”