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Is Cook County practicing reverse discrimination with H1N1 vaccine?
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If you live on Chicago's North Shore you can forget about getting a swine flu shot for your kids for the time being. The reason appears to be that too many people in the New Trier Township have private health insurance and access to a physician. This makes them a “low priority” from the County Health Department’s perspective. The problem, however, is that physicians in private practice are not receiving any H1N1 vaccine, nor are they likely to receive any in the near future. The county is the only game in town, and right now it is excluding us from the table.
The Federal Government has developed and purchased all of the vaccine currently available in the US. It is (slowly) getting the supplies out to the states, and the states are then responsible for distributing it to the counties. At every stage in the process there are inconsistencies and a general lack of organizing principles. But in Cook County we may be looking beyond general inefficiencies and the usual incompetence to outright politicking.
It is time to ask quite bluntly: is the affluent, mostly white North Shore being discriminated against by officials from Cook County in the distribution of the scarce H1N1 vaccine?
The county has two avenues for vaccine distribution: its four established clinics and special clinics set up within school districts to address the needs of large numbers of students. Last week students from Palatine received immunizations at County-organized clinics. This week Evanston students followed suit. But students from Glencoe, Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth and Northfield will have to wait until at least January of next year, according to letters sent out by New Trier High School and its feeder schools.
The county has posted information on the Health Department's website about its four public clinics which do have the H1N1 vaccine, albeit in limited supplies. One of those clinics is in North Suburban Cook County. However, good luck trying to get through to a human being via the general appointment number (708-836-8600) or the North District Office number (847-818-2860) The South, West, and Southwest District Office all have efficient, modern voice messaging systems. But the phone system at the North District Office is either perpetually overwhelmed or broken.
Over a two day period, I rang both the general line and the North Shore line more than 25 times and was disconnected or got a busy signal every time. I also called the "hotline" (708-492-2828) which rang forever but no one ever picked up and no pre-recorded message ever played for me.
So, why not encourage parents from the northern suburbs to set up an appointment with one of the clinics that do have working phone systems? Because these clinics appear to have a policy of not accepting patients who have private health insurance. The message on each of the three District Office’s phone system clearly indicated that to receive a flu vaccine, residents not only needed to be in one of the priority groups, they also needed to present a Medicare or Medicaid card.
My calls to elected officials at the county, state, and federal level have yet to be returned. When and if I am able to learn more about the bureaucratic black hole into which New Trier students have fallen I will update this story.
In the meantime, before you write out a large check for the second installment of your property tax, might I suggest a phone call or two to your representatives protesting their lack of interest in safeguarding the health and safety of your children?
Cook County Commissioner: Larry Suffredin (312-603-6383)
Cook County President: Todd Stroger (312-603-6400)
State Representative: Julie Hamos (847-424-9898)
State Senator: Jeff Schoenberg (847-492-1200)
US Representative IL 10th District: Mark Kirk (847-940-0202)
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