Hi Michelle – That’s a good question, and it’s one others are asking as well. Several members of Congress have asked for an explanation. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut said "Vaccines should go to people who need them most, not people who happen to work on Wall Street.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not review and sign off on the decisions of state and city health departments as to which doctor's offices and businesses will be sent vaccine doses, said spokesman Tom Skinner. A spokesperson for the New York Health Department said the city viewed the use of large employee health clinics as an important outlet for reaching at-risk adults. The issue is that other distribution points, including hospitals, were bypassed and the large firms were made a higher priority.
In direct response to the New York City situation CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden has sent a reminder to state and city health departments nationwide reminding them that high-risk groups should receive the vaccine first. He’s also asked them to review their distribution plans. "I ask each of you to review your plans immediately and work to ensure that the maximum number of doses is delivered to those at greatest risk as rapidly as possible," he wrote.
I’m paying close attention to this situation as a colleague of a very close friend, a 51-year-old healthy registered nurse, recently died from complications of the H1N1 flu. It’s important that all of us take this seriously, learn prevention measures and support each other. At the same time, it’s important to be realistic and not panic as prevention measures do work, are simple to adopt and are inexpensive.
EmpowHer has many good articles on what members can do, and I encourage people to not only read them for themselves but to share the information with friends and family.
Take good care,
Pat
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Hi Michelle – That’s a good question, and it’s one others are asking as well. Several members of Congress have asked for an explanation. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut said "Vaccines should go to people who need them most, not people who happen to work on Wall Street.
November 6, 2009 - 8:51amThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not review and sign off on the decisions of state and city health departments as to which doctor's offices and businesses will be sent vaccine doses, said spokesman Tom Skinner. A spokesperson for the New York Health Department said the city viewed the use of large employee health clinics as an important outlet for reaching at-risk adults. The issue is that other distribution points, including hospitals, were bypassed and the large firms were made a higher priority.
In direct response to the New York City situation CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden has sent a reminder to state and city health departments nationwide reminding them that high-risk groups should receive the vaccine first. He’s also asked them to review their distribution plans. "I ask each of you to review your plans immediately and work to ensure that the maximum number of doses is delivered to those at greatest risk as rapidly as possible," he wrote.
I’m paying close attention to this situation as a colleague of a very close friend, a 51-year-old healthy registered nurse, recently died from complications of the H1N1 flu. It’s important that all of us take this seriously, learn prevention measures and support each other. At the same time, it’s important to be realistic and not panic as prevention measures do work, are simple to adopt and are inexpensive.
EmpowHer has many good articles on what members can do, and I encourage people to not only read them for themselves but to share the information with friends and family.
Take good care,
Pat
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