Why are the DC clinics empty?

[Anonymous]

waited 2 hrs at Cardozo today, but it went smoothly. wasn't expecting to wait that long due to what everybody has been saying, but it went ok.

[Anonymous]

DC should sell some of their vaccine to Arlington County. It's silly for people to go all the way into the city and DC obviously doesn't mind vaccinating people from outside DC.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's just an economic question. I think some groups are distrustful of government provided mass vaccination. Certain populations have been tested on before secretly by the government. Think Tuskegee Institute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's just an economic question. I think some groups are distrustful of government provided mass vaccination. Certain populations have been tested on before secretly by the government. Think Tuskegee Institute.

I see it, but is that really what's going through the minds of residents living near Ballou who skipped the clinics? Are they even aware of the clinics? Did the schools do any outreach to their own students, who would absolutely be eligible, and their families?

[Anonymous]

Agree with poster 15:09
I have heard some of my own relatives who live east mention the Tuskegee experiment and swine flu vaccine in the same breath. Typically those in public health will develop very targeted communication campaigns - no time to do it with this.

If folks in those communities are distrustful of government AND distrustful of school there is no way you will get folks in, I don't care how much outreach you do. The location is all wrong. Right now though, the goals is to get as many people as possible no matter where they are and just get some immunity out there.

But I am guessing that once the vaccine is made available to more doctors, first responders and clinics you will find more people east getting it. The vaccine just has to get into the hands of a trusted source.

[Anonymous]

Arlington resident here. I haven't gone to D.C., because I find going into the city with my child to be difficult, and I assumed that the vaccine would be appearring in larger doses in Arlington (boy, was I wrong). Can anyone lead me to the website that will have info on where in D.C. I can go to get one for my son?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had DD vaccinated a couple of weeks ago and we were in and out in 10 minutes. I went for myself today and no lines at all. Why aren't people coming to the DC clinics? Are people nervous about the neighborhoods? Are people from lower income levels less likely to vaccinate? Just curious.

Because not everybody WANTS the H1N1 vaccine. Not everyone is buying into this crazy hysteria. I don't think it has anything to do with lower income levels. We're in a middle class neighborhood, and most of my neighbors haven't had their kids vaccinated. It's just not a big deal for some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had DD vaccinated a couple of weeks ago and we were in and out in 10 minutes. I went for myself today and no lines at all. Why aren't people coming to the DC clinics? Are people nervous about the neighborhoods? Are people from lower income levels less likely to vaccinate? Just curious.

Because not everybody WANTS the H1N1 vaccine. Not everyone is buying into this crazy hysteria. I don't think it has anything to do with lower income levels. We're in a middle class neighborhood, and most of my neighbors haven't had their kids vaccinated. It's just not a big deal for some people.

Yep. I hardly know anyone that's gotten it. Some people just aren't as paranoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's just an economic question. I think some groups are distrustful of government provided mass vaccination. Certain populations have been tested on before secretly by the government. Think Tuskegee Institute.

I see it, but is that really what's going through the minds of residents living near Ballou who skipped the clinics? Are they even aware of the clinics? Did the schools do any outreach to their own students, who would absolutely be eligible, and their families?

How do you know what is going through their minds? So you can just judge a whole group of people?

[Anonymous]

either you believe the government or you don't that kids should have the vaccine. There may be whole number of reasons why you don't believe the CDC recommendation to vaccinate the risk groups. I am not sure paranoia is one of the reason to believe in it. However, when it comes to D.C., the evidence is that the predominantly black neighborhoods aren't having busy clinics. A woman from one of those areas that stood behind me in line at Hardy a couple of weeks ago suggested that the Tuskegee Institute testing is still a factor in the black community not trusting the government recommendation to be vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

The lower income families may have other struggles that we don't experience. They may work hourly jobs with little flexibility and carry second part time jobs in the evenings and weekends. The clinics are not everynight. Beyond the clinic in their neighborhood, they would still need to find time off and public transportation.

For most of the people on this board, if we work weekends, we are doing it on our laptops in our home offices and completely able to drive out in out SUVs to a clinic anywhere. Most of us can also leave work early on one day for something like this and make up the time or catch up on work later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:either you believe the government or you don't that kids should have the vaccine. There may be whole number of reasons why you don't believe the CDC recommendation to vaccinate the risk groups. I am not sure paranoia is one of the reason to believe in it. However, when it comes to D.C., the evidence is that the predominantly black neighborhoods aren't having busy clinics. A woman from one of those areas that stood behind me in line at Hardy a couple of weeks ago suggested that the Tuskegee Institute testing is still a factor in the black community not trusting the government recommendation to be vaccinated.

My feeling on this is the black people you're talking about aren't anti-vaccine, as chances are they give their children the routine vaccines. There are a lot of people (more than just the black people in DC!) that don't believe in the flu shot. I am one of them. I've never gotten the flu shot and haven't for my daughter either. I half considered it this year because I'm pregnant, but ultimately decided against it. The flu vaccine isn't like the other vaccines and I'm just not paranoid enough to get it.