Coalition calls on Will County Health Department to do more on vaccine equity

A group of a dozen community-based organizations wrote a memo to the leadership of the Will County Health Department demanding they do more to ensure an equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The organizations said they wrote to the health department due to its “failure to meet the needs of diverse communities amidst a historic pandemic.” They said the health department has failed to “systemically prioritize and invest in health equity best practices” in its vaccination efforts.

Signees cited Illinois Department of Public Health data showing that Black and Latino residents were underrepresented among those who have already received vaccines.

In Will County, while Black residents make up about 12% of the population, according to U.S. Census data, they only make up about 6.8% of those in the county who have received at least one vaccine dose. Latino residents make up about 18% of Will County’s population, but only about 10.6% of those who have received a shot.

The race or ethnicity of about 8.7% of those who’ve received a vaccine in Will County is unknown, according to the IDPH.

“Given the widely recognized disparities that exist both locally and nationally regarding marginalized communities, especially Black and Latinx communities, it is urgent that the Will County Health Department expediently address the lack of an equitable vaccine distribution plan and infrastructure,” the memo read.

The organizations also said the Will County Health Department, under director Sue Olenek’s leadership, “postponed” the needs of multilingual and multicultural communities. They argued the department neglected to provide timely translations of communications related to COVID-19.

Steve Brandy, a spokesman for the Will County Health Department, declined to comment for this story but public health officials have in the past detailed steps they’ve taken to address equity concerns.

For example, about a quarter of workers at a call center meant to answer COVID-19-related questions speak Spanish. The health department’s survey used for residents who would like to register to eventually get vaccinated is available in Spanish.

Still, the coalition also alleged county health officials ignored a request to meet with the coalition to discuss equity concerns last week, though they noted Will County Board members and the Will County Executive’s Office did reach out about such a meeting.

“If action to disrupt these inequities does not take place now, more members of our Black, Latinx & immigrant communities will continue to die,” the coalition wrote.

The Forest Park Community Center, on the east side of Joliet, was one of the organizations that signed onto the letter. Bettye Gavin, the executive director of the center and a member of the Joliet City Council, said she felt the health department has not done enough to reach out to communities of color or communicate its plan for an equitable distribution of vaccines.

“We want to get (residents) as much information as possible,” Gavin said, adding that the health department should “talk about a plan. What does it look like?”

The organizations proposed their own plan to address their concerns. They asked the department to use $1.7 million to hire a chief health equity officer, establish mass vaccination sites primarily serving low-income and predominately Black and Latino residents, and enhance translation of department materials, among other actions.

Will County Board member Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, who chairs the county’s Public Health & Safety Committee, asked Olenek during a meeting on Wednesday about translation services. Olenek said money for translations was included in the health department’s budget.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, also received the memo and said the county is “committed to providing an equitable distribution of the vaccines.” Her office has played an active role in the county’s vaccination efforts along with the health department and the Will County Emergency Management Agency.

Bertino-Tarrant said matters of equity have been frequently addressed in meetings among the various entities.

“I think the health department has listened to individual groups to try to address (their concerns),” she said. “I do believe the health department is conscientious and trying to deploy the vaccination site to site.”

As of Wednesday, over 124,000 vaccines have been administered in Will County, according to the IDPH. Over 36,000 people, or 5.2% of the population, has been fully vaccinated.