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Rice County Addresses Vaccine Concerns

By Denise Hnytka (LYONS, Kan.)

More than 36 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine have been shipped nationwide.

Still, people in rural areas say they're not getting access to it fast enough, and many have questions about how it's being distributed.

"We've had angry phone calls, and we've had angry people in our building," says Marci Leake.

The Rice County Health Department has given out more than 250 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, but it barely even puts a dent on the list of people considered first priority.

"We're not trying to restrict or say you can't have it, or that we don't want you protected," says Leake. "It's just that we are mandated to get the high-risk done first."

Leake says her department can only watch as cities like Wichita hold vaccine clinics for school children. Rice County doesn't have enough vaccine stockpiled to do its own school clinic.

"The distribution is supposed to be population-based, but the metropolitan areas are high risk because there is a higher concentration of people," she explains. "More vaccine is being sent their way then to us."

The longer it takes, the more Leake sees people doing whatever they can to get one, including getting doctors to write prescriptions for the vaccine. At thishis point, that won't do any good.

"It doesn't mean we can change what we are mandated to do by the state."

Rice County has stockpiled 500 doses and plans to start vaccinating school-age children on Thursday. They'll begin in Chase, then move on to Lyons, Sterling and Little River.