County clinics gave swine flu vaccine to anyone who showed up, even the low-risk and insured

L.A. County health officials said they provided H1N1 shots to anyone who came to their clinics over the last few days, even those who were not in the "priority group" at greatest risk of getting sick.

When the clinics opened last week, officials said they were targeting the uninsured and those most at risk of catching H1N1 flu, the so-called “priority groups” being pregnant women, youths and those with weakened immune systems.

 “A lot of people are just showing up even if they have health insurance, because they have tried and been unable to get” the vaccine from private physicians, said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county’s Department of Public Health. “We’re accommodating them because we have enough vaccine.”

But late Monday, after The Times interviewed Fielding, the Department of Public Health put out a press release vowing to “intensify” screening to root out those who are not among priority groups and ensure "equitable availability of the limited vaccine supply throughout the county.”

The release encouraged those headed for a county-sponsored H1N1 vaccine clinic to review the vaccination form, available online. Those who are not in an H1N1 priority group will have to wait to receive a vaccine, the statement said.

So far, only 50,000 adults and children have been vaccinated against H1N1 flu countywide, and it is not clear how many of those are among priority groups, Fielding said.

Private doctors and clinics have been overwhelmed by demand for the vaccine, and many have run out, leading to long lines at county-sponsored clinics. At a clinic in the City of Industry that opened Monday, Fielding said more than 500 people waited in line for the vaccine.

“The shortage, while temporary, has been causing a lot of understandable frustration and consternation,” Fielding said. Los Angeles County clinics and private providers have received 300,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine since shipments started arriving last month from the federal government, which purchased and distributed the vaccines nationwide.

An additional 94,000 doses of H1N1 vaccines are expected to be shipped to private and public providers in Los Angeles County this week, Fielding said. More shipments are expected in coming weeks. As four more county clinics opened today in Acton, Compton, Downey and Pomona, Fielding urged those with private medical insurance to be patient.

“We sympathize with them,” he said.

Priority groups in L.A. County, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, include: pregnant women; people living with or caring for infants under 6 months old; emergency-medical-services personnel and healthcare workers; children and young adults ages 6 months to 24; and those 25 to 64 years old with chronic medical conditions such as heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, or weakened immune systems. An estimated 5.5 million people in L.A. County fall into those categories, Fielding said.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

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Comments

[paul]

Here in Raleigh NC there IS NO VACCINE!!! None in Westchester NY or Albuquerque NM, where my sisters are, either. The Wake County Health Department said "We have it. Come get it." A couple of thousand people lined up for 6 hours and after they passed out their 97 doses they said "Oopsie - we have no more – take ANOTHER DAY OFF FROM WORK and come back some other day." You have more chance of getting the swine flu in line waiting for a flu shot than if you ignore it altogether and go on about your life!!! Lemmings have a better chance with a cliff than Americans have with trying to get swine flu shots from their idiot government!!!!! AND WILL ALL YOU MEDIA MORONS STOP TELLING US TO GO AND GET NON-EXISTENT VACCINES!!!!!!!

[Paul]

Why is LA County receiving more H1N1 vaccinations then other areas of the country that may need it more? Is this a thank you for the county for carrying Obama?

[JRN1]

Brilliant. Typical L.A. County DHS unorganized, unaccountable insanity. Maybe if the county would lift its near year long hiring freeze on essential medical personnel anarchy would not be the order of every day.

[mtoafs]

“We’re accommodating them because we have enough vaccine.”

you know, they could have taken that extra vaccine and distributed it amongst the hundreds of clinics out there that can't get their hands on it. those clinics could have, in turn, distributed it to even more people that were in the high risk groups.

[sha57]

I have Asthma, I pay over 500 a month insurance and I can't get the H1N1 flu shot.
Low risk and uninsured!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Typical.
Why do I even bother anymore, I'm fed up with this system.

[joe]

swine flu sucks!

[gting]

This is a complete debacle. How can we even be considering turning over 16% of the American economy to the government as part of health care reform when they can't even get a vaccination program in place that makes sense?

[Angery Parent]

That is UNBELIEVABLE. My wife is currently working in the ER as a resident, and has been unable to get any H1N1 flu vaccine. When she tried to go to our local county clinic (up here in northern California), she was denied because of the limited supply of vaccine available... she's not priority, even though she's treating H1N1 patients and we have a 13 month old at home.

And LA is passing out this stuff like CANDY to anyone that shows up? Ridiculous!

[Phyllis]

This should not be surprising to anyone. What do you think happens when GOVERNMENT tries to manage an operation? Government has consistently, time in and time out, to be highly inefficient and often ineffective. Thank you government for spending our hard-earned tax dollars the way you go. This should be an example of the downside of a potential public health care option.

[pat]

Paul- no sane democrat would do anything to thank Los Angeles for their votes. It is understood that they will receive those votes without having to pay us any mind.

[Satisfied]

As a member of a priorty group, I lined up early and received my vaccine on Saturday. I was very impressed by the professionalism of all of the LA County Department of Health staff at the clinic. The distribution was very orderly and organized. And the staff and volunteers had a genuine caring attitude. Kudos to the Los Angeles County Department of Health!

[Carrie]

Hah - take a look at the woman in the front of the picture with the LV bag that costs over $1,000! No wonder she can't afford a flu shot.

[Gala]

I am 5 months pregnant and have asthma. I asked my doctor about the flu vaccines and they could only give me the normal flu vaccine. I was told kids would be the first ones to receive the shot, and I would be called later on to get my shot, since I'm in a high risk group.
I thought it made sense to give the vaccine to kids first, and I am waiting. I am sorry to say this, but it makes me angry that I am waiting despite the serious consequences I could face, while others who are not at risk are getting the vaccine. I am aware so far there are no vaccines for all of us, and I am trying to be a reasonable person and consider who is at most risk and needs to be immunized first.
I think it is unfair people were not screened. Many like me were put at an extra risk.

[mat]

Here in Minnesota, there is no vaccine.

I fit in to not one but two high risk categories, I have an 18 month old, I assist my mother-in-law who has cancer and is undergoing chemo AND I work in the health care field with individuals with severely compromised immune systems... I'm talking about people that can spend weeks in an ICU just from getting the common cold... and I'm being told that my area MAY have doses to give out in "another month or two"... and then I read articles like this where these idiots are just giving the vaccination away to anyone and everyone?!?!?! What a load of crap.

... and maybe I'm missing something, by why does having or not having insurance have any bearing on being able to obtain this vaccine? I fail to see why the uninsured are given priority. After high-risk groups and medical professionals are taken care of, it should be first come first serve, insured or not.

[Parent of sick Asthmatic]

This infuriates me. I have a child with severe Asthma. Neither her Asthma Specialists nor her Pediatrician has yet to get the vaccine. And I have called them all twice a week since the end of August. Her Asthma Specialist called me yesterday to check on her, and said he still doesn't know when he's going to get the vaccine. And Asthmatics CAN'T have the flu mist. It's designed for healthy people only. So giving the mist to the doctors of the insured did zilch for patients who actually need the vaccine the most. And then they go and give the vaccine to the healthy? Anyone smell something bad here? My Asthmatic child now has the flu and is very ill. Despite Tamiflu, antibiotics, and increased steroids, among all of her other Asthma medications, her lung function is continuing to decline. THESE CHILDREN WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN PRIORITY? Let me see, lung disease-H1N1 attacks the lungs - kills kids with Asthma! You CANNOT justify giving the only vaccine there is to healthy people, uninsured or not, when there are millions of immune compromised children. All of the actions taken thus far prove to me that L.A. is deliberately vaccinating (H1N1 mist and vaccine) the healthy only, totally ignoring those who need it most. I guess they want those with health issues such as Asthma to die. It would definitely save a lot of healthcare costs, wouldn't it?

[NoFluHere]

I was one of the "all comers" who got it on Sunday. I may not be in a high-risk group, but if I get sick and can't work for a week or two, it will mean financial disaster.

But I do find it amusing that all we're hearing is "The government hasn't done enough on swine flu! Help us, government! Oh - and stay out of our health care."

[juan simon]

was up it more info of cause if it pass through the world

[cindy vasquez]

booo not a real article newyork times it better

[Ranger]

My brother works at the UCLA Medical Center and he can't get the vaccine. The hospital doesn't have enough doses to go around. Meanwhile, the county is giving it away at "drive-through" clinics to anyone willing to wait in line long enough. This is ridiculous.

[Donna]

I'm glad some insured patients are getting the vaccine too. If it isn't available at their private doctor's office, they should be eligible to receive the vaccine as well. We all pay taxes and those services are for everyone.

[brianguy]

wow these people are idiots. it shouldn't be based at all on "haves" or "have nots" (whether it be insurance, money, or anything else). you have to give it to the high risk first (i.e. the elderly, infants, and pregnant women). after that everyone has to be treated equally. so after those super-high risk groups go, then it's first come, first served.

and here in Orange County, the 2nd most populated county in all of California, it seems we have an even tinier supply relative to the size of population than in L.A. it's just stomach-churning.

[brianguy]

"Why is LA County receiving more H1N1 vaccinations then other areas of the country that may need it more? Is this a thank you for the county for carrying Obama?"

Yes.

[SMPier]

Paul -- "Why is LA County receiving more H1N1 vaccinations then other areas of the country that may need it more? Is this a thank you for the county for carrying Obama?"

Huh? Your posting is completely devoid of facts...

Maybe LA County is receiving more (if it even is) because it is in the middle of a high-density metro area consisting of 20+ million people and is a major hub for national and international travel/commerce? How many other metro areas can claim that many people? One: NYC.

And what do you mean by "other areas of the country that may need it more"? What other areas? How would they "need it more"?

Finally, why do you assume it's a thank you? Perhaps the State of Texas and Orange County to the south of LA are getting similar amounts of vaccine per resident? You have made no attempt to check, apparently, preferring instead to make ad hominen attacks on a politician you don't like.

But I checked and, to the contrary, Texas -- presumably a high-risk area you may be referring to that most definitely did not go for Obama -- has at least 1.7 million doses by now; and Texas does not have anywhere near 5.7 times the population of LA County.

[Mr.G...]

Instead of whining like little babies, find out where they are giving the vaccination and go get it.

Shut up already!!!

[Crystal]

I'm not saying that the system that they have in place is remotely correct, but this is one instance where saying "only the people that need it should get it!" is a lot easier said than done. Think about the logistics. In addition to the vaccine form and the allergy checklist screeners would have to check:

1) check drivers license for age
2) check current paperwork for insurance
3) have some kind of paperwork from your OB/GYN showing you're pregnant
etc. etc.

for EVERY person. THOUSANDS of people come to these things.

[maria]

Only certain neighborhoods get the vaccine.The children in my part of town I guess are not as important.Whether you have insurance or not is irrevelant if the only place the vaccine is at is a handful of neighborhood free clinics.The vaccine should have been sent out more evenly.Whole communities have been told they cant have it but the free clinics do.That is discrimination.