Vaccine site planned for southern Lake County
Lake County Health Department officials said southern Lake County would be included as a distribution site when the next shipment of H1N1 vaccine is received.
State Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park, raised concerns the department did not locate a clinic in the Highland Park area when it distributed about 12,000 doses of vaccine last week before running out Friday.
(News-Sun file)
Health Department spokeswoman Leslie Piotrowski said the department plans to locate a clinic in southern Lake County the next time vaccine is received and is also exploring providing vaccine to schools in the Highland Park area.
More than 430 health-care providers across Lake County have registered to receive the H1N1 vaccine, and several schools, including some in Highland Park, have agreed to participate in Lake County's H1N1 vaccination campaign.
Dr. Victor Plotkin, Lake County Health Department epidemiologist, addressed concerns that Highland Park and southern Lake County in general were being neglected since no H1N1 vaccination clinics were offered there.
"We envisioned this as a community effort. It's going to be a community effort over a long period of time," Plotkin said, adding that he thought it would take several months to receive and administer the vaccine to county residents.
Plotkin also said a screening process to address the most medically needy was not feasible. It would slow the vaccination process considerably, and people would need to provide medical documentation that could take weeks to prepare. Also, many people who need the vaccine are underinsured or have no coverage, Plotkin said.
The Health Department received 12,650 doses of the 100,000 it requested and exhausted that supply in two days. Plotkin said he does not know when or how many more vaccine doses will be delivered by the state.
"We want everyone in Lake County to be covered and protected, and we hope that goal will be accomplished," Plotkin said.
The first clinics last week were held in Waukegan, North Chicago, Mundelein and Round Lake Beach.
