The group was chanting and displaying pairs of shoes as a symbol of Illinois residents who have or will die without health care reform, according to a press release from the CBHC.

The activists are demanding Biggert meet with consumers to hear their concerns and sign a pledge to support the passage of health care reform. A Twitter report from the scene said the police had been called.

“Once again Congresswoman Biggert is showing her true colors,” said Jim Duffett, CBCH executive director. “For months citizens who support reform have asked her to have a fair and open discussion, but she has consistently refused.”

Sue Burtnette of Woodridge was quoted in the release as saying she hopes “Rep. Biggert takes the message to heart that lives are on the line, and she must stop playing politics and get health care reform done.”

A new report by Families USA released earlier this week by the Campaign for Better Health Care, ranked Illinois sixth of all states with 10,800 premature deaths caused by lack of health coverage between 1995-2009, and seventh in the projected number of deaths (9,400) due to a lack of coverage over the next 10 years, according to the CBCH release.

Docs 4 Patient Care, a politically neutral, grassroots coalition of  physicians, will sponsor a town hall meeting to discuss health care reform at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Doubletree Guest Suites and Conference Center, 2111 Butterfield Road. The meeting is slated to run about three hours.

With the U.S. Senate set to reconvene next Tuesday, the issue of health care reform is likely to once again heat up,” wrote a DGreport reader and Docs 4 Patient Care associate.

“As you know, these bills did not go the conventional route of going to conference. Rather, these negotiations are being held behind closed doors. With this in mind, we want to do our best to inform the public of the implications of the proposed health care reform measures on their health care.”

The reader, who attended the organization’s Chicago rally, described it as a “passionate, but loosely organized group — because they are busy treating patients — that has grown across the country.

“It is so incongruous to see physicians in lab coats speaking into bullhorns.”

The reader’s recommendation: Ask your doc how they think health care reform should be accomplished. “None I’ve spoken to think the current bill has any useful components.”

University of Chicago physician Dr. Mark G. Neerhoff , a Docs 4 Patient Care member, shared his views in an OpEd piece in yesterday’s Washington Times.

Feel free to share your own thoughts here — or at the town meeting. A second Chicago area meeting is slated for the North Shore.

Director Christopher Bowen began considering how the new flu would impact his very public facility when it first swept the country last spring. His plan for dealing with H1N1 — one of the first instituted by a public library — has been picked up by administrators throughout the country.

Bowen began by researching the virus, which fortunately only lives from two to four hours on flat surfaces like books, CDs and DVDs.  “If something is coming back from a home where there is flu, by the time it’s back on the shelves, it is no longer infected,” he said. It takes the library about 24 hours to re-shelf returned items.

That works for borrowed materials, but to deal with patrons who come in coughing and snifling, the library also has stepped up its infection control measures.

“We are certainly reminding staff to be very mindful of hygiene practices,” he said.  Although the free-standing hand sanitizer dispensers he was contemplating are out of stock, the library has made wipes and hand sanitizer available.

“There are individual dispensers at the service desks and latex and non-latex gloves are available for staff,” Bowen said. Staff members also have been reminded to wash hands often and to avoid touching their face.

Further, staffers are permitted to limit their exposure to patrons who appear ill.  “We are not competent to diagnose, but if someone is coughing and sneezing, staff members may keep their distance,” Bowen said, adding that it’s common for patrons to hold their library card in their mouth while standing in line to check out.

The library board also is permitting staff members to take up to three paid sick days during the current flu season in an effort to keep those with symptoms at home.

“Most of our staff is part-time. There isn’t regular sick leave for those who work less than 20 hours a week,” Bowen said.

The H1N1 sick leave makes it possible for part-timers who really need the pay to stay home when they are sick.  “It’s one thing to tell staff to stay home when they are sick and another to make it possible,” he said.

Bowen also has been in contact with PADS administrators to determine how they will handle an H1N1 outbreak at the shelters, several of which operate out of local churches.

The adminstrators had attempted to find a separate setting for sick guests but were unsuccessful, Bowen reported at the Oct. 14 library board meeting.

As an alternative, PADS “is emphasizing good hygiene in the shelters and urging clients to practice it outside of the shelters in the community,” according to the meeting minutes.

While it appears H1N1 may now be in retreat, Bowen has prepared for a worst-case scenario.

“If it gets really bad and the county health department announces it’s time for social distancing, we would cancel group meetings and our social programs,” he said. “In the worst case, we would make the lounges off-limits and just allow patrons to borrow materials or use the computers.”

A second clinic is scheduled for the College of DuPage on Dec. 12. The clinics are specifically for people in the high-priority groups:  pregnant women, those who live with or care for infants younger than six months, health care and emergency medical personnel, anyone between six months and 24 years old, and those aged 25 through 64 with certain chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system.

Vaccinations are free, but appointments are required and may be made by calling the hotline at 1-866-311-1123 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Callers may expect to get a busy signal and are encouraged to call during off-peak hours. I called repeatedly for an appointment for my kids three weeks ago and eventually got through about 1 a.m. It pays to be a night owl when the H1N1 vaccine is at stake.

The good news is that the health department has steam-lined the vaccination experience. Our appointment was for last evening at the Lombard clinic and we arrived to find various stations at which we filled out the necessary paperwork and waited briefly for the vaccination.

The health department only had FluMist available at the time I called, which was fine by my cowardly children. By the time we arrived, shots were again available and I was thrilled to get one.

All told, a very painless process.

I’ll admit to having some misgivings about getting the vaccine in place of others of higher priority, but when the clinic staff offered, I gratefully accepted, particularly since I have gimpy lungs and already missed the seasonal flu shot this year. However, today I’m feeling guilty.

“Our goal is to distribute H1N1 vaccine as quickly as we can to reduce and prevent disease activity,’ said Maureen McHugh, executive director of the county health department.

Eventually, the government has promised to make the vaccine available to every American who wants it. More information is available through the county health department’s influenza hotline at 630-221-7600 or at www.protectdupage.org.

With all the attention on the H1N1 influenza vaccine, supplies of which have fallen far short of what was forecast, little notice has been paid to the rapidly diminishing stock of  seasonal flu vaccine.

While flu shots are typically available throughout October and into November, this year’s stock was tapped out in many locations in Downers Grove and throughout the state and country by early October. I began calling for the shot about Oct. 20 and found it nowhere to be had, including my doctor’s office.

A staffer at a local Walgreen’s TakeCare Clinic told me weeks ago that they were focusing their attention on the H1N1 vaccine this year — which, of course, has been available only through the DuPage County Health Department.

An Osco pharmacist told me his company had made a similar business decision and had exhausted its seasonal supply by early October. The store is getting 10 to 15 calls a day from people seeking a vaccine against the seasonal flu.

Even the county health department has been out of the seasonal vaccine for weeks, although further supplies may be forthcoming. The department made the decision a few years ago to turn its seasonal flu vaccination program over to retailers like Osco and Dominicks, thinking they would have better resources to get the vaccines to the public.

Unfortunately, business considerations seem to have trumped  public health concerns.

The CDC has stated for months that both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine supplies would be adequate to meet the needs of the nation.  Further reports indicated the public got the message, taking the health establishment at its word and seeking out the vaccines.

However, it now appears there is not nearly enough of either vaccine to meet demand as we head into the thick of flu season. Part of the reason may be manufacturers’ focus on turning out the H1N1 vaccine — an achievement that has yet to occur in anything approaching the necessary quantities.

Melanie Arnold, a spokewoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health said the agency started pushing the seasonal flu shot earlier this year in an attempt to get a jump on the forthcoming H1N1 vaccine.  With the public more aware of the flu this year than in typical years, stores and clinics  “went through much larger quantities than they thought they would.”

Seasonal flu vaccine orders are typically placed in January or February based on the amount of vaccine sold that season, she said.

Even the state came up short in its vaccination programs for state workers, Arnold said.  “We had to cancel and postpone clinics in Springfield. The manufacturer said we can’t get more until November.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “very aware” of the shortage, Arnold said. “The CDC is calling it a delay rather than a shortage. They’re telling us that some manufacturers are still manufacturing the season flu vaccine.” One manufacturer still has 30% of its stock still to make.

In the long-term, both the manufacturer and the CDC say they will continue to make the H1N1 vaccine available to every one who wants it.

The same may not be true for the seasonal flu vaccine, despite the fact that the seasonal flu takes about 36,000 American lives per year.

Interestingly, the state health department has little to say or do about the availability of vaccine, acting as “middleman” between manufacturers and the physicians, retailers and clinics that distribute it. Similarly, the DuPage County has handed off responsibility for ensuring a supply of vaccine to private enterprise — which apparently decided to bet big on the H1N1 vaccine.

As we saw six years ago, the government seems far more effective at motivating Americans to seek vaccines than in ensuring an adequate supply of those vaccines. If this is any indication of the government’s ability to regulate the production and distribution of a vaccine in a health emergency, God help us.

I’ve tried repeatedly to get through at 1-866-311-1123 without success. Maybe more call-center staff might be just what the doctor ordered?

County residents who are considered “priority groups,” based on Centers for Disease Control criteria, are first up for the vaccine.

They include pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than six months of age,  health care and emergency medical services personne, everyone age six months through 24, and people age 25 to 64 who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

The initial clinic schedule, which is posted at the county’s emergency information Web site, www.protectdupage.org, will run through Nov. 8, including weekends. Additional dates will be announced as vaccine becomes available.

There eventually will be enough vaccine manufactured for everyone in the U.S. Hopefully, public health authorities will have dealt with the phone-system bugs before then.

·

In an email release today, D99 said school districts have been told by the DuPage County Health Department to expect more cases as the flu spreads throughout the county. Both local school districts are monitoring attendance and will consider closing schools if absenteeism spikes.

In the meantime, the schools are observing recommended measures for containing the spread of the virus, including emphasizing hand-washing, cleaning and sanitizing heavily used surfaces, installing hand sanitizers and asking students and staff to remain at home if they have a fever or other flu symptoms.

Now an editorial note: It’s possible to contain the spread of a virus only if everyone cooperates. Please keep your kids at home if they are sick. The school districts can make this task easier if they relax some of the more punitive results of missing school.

Given the potential for this virus to become more serious, it also may be prudent to develop ways for students to continue their studies at home in the event it’s necessary to close the schools for a period of time.  Like a lot of parents, I won’t wait for the districts to make that call if I feel H1N1 is a serious threat to our kids’ health.

“Further information will be provided as appropriate, based on consultation with the coroner’s office and with the family,” the health department said in a press release. It also extended sympathy to the family of the stricken child.

More from the press release:

The DuPage County Health Department reminds DuPage County residents of the serious threat posed by novel H1N1 influenza, and actions they may take to help prevent illness and spread of influenza in the community.

The health department is urging people to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and novel H1N1 flu, as vaccine is distributed and becomes available.

According to CDC, there have been more than a million cases of H1N1 flu in the U.S., and during the 2008-2009 flu season, there were 128 influenza-associated pediatric deaths, 60 of which were due to novel H1N1 influenza.   In Illinois, there have been 19 deaths due to H1N1 influenza in 2009.

This is the first death with H1N1 influenza in a DuPage County resident.  As has been noted in Illinois and around the country, fatalities due to influenza continue to occur, especially but not exclusively, when there are underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness.

In addition to getting vaccinated, County residents can stay healthy and limit the spread of flu by remembering the 3 Cs:
CLEAN – wash your hands frequently to prevent the spread of germs.
COVER – your cough and sneeze with a tissue or sleeve, not your hand.
CONTAIN – contain your germs.  Stay home if you are sick.

Persons experiencing signs of severe illness (such as difficulty breathing, dehydration, confusion, pain or pressure in chest or abdomen)  should seek medical attention immediately, and persons with underlying conditions, including pregnant women, should promptly contact their physician if they develop influenza-like illness.

Additional information on seasonal flu and novel H1N1 flu is available on www.flu.gov or www.protectdupage.org, or  the DuPage County emergency information web site.  There are fact sheets on the web site with information on when people should consult a physician if they become ill with flu.

A hotline for DuPage County residents with questions about novel H1N1 influenza is also available at the DuPage County Health Department. Residents may call (630) 221-7600. The hotline is available 24/7.

Residents can now begin receiving updates on the novel H1N1 flu via Twitter, which is a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. Twitter can be accessed by an individual’s computer or cell phone and it will let residents receive news and updates instantly. Those interested in receiving information via Twitter, but do not currently have an account, can sign up by visiting http://twitter.com/.  Once an account is established, simply add “ProtectDuPage” (be sure to put both words together) to your list.  It’s that simple.

“There is no confirmed source and no causal relationship among the cases,” said David Hass, a health department spokesman.

Such outbreaks are extremely common and have many possible causes including environmental factors, food or food handling, he said. Health department personnel have taken food histories from those affected.

Five people initially complained of vomiting and diarrhea, including two who were hospitalized at Good Samaritan Hospital. One of those reported his illness to the Daily Herald, where the story first appeared.  All have since recovered, Hass said.

Another four people reported becoming ill in recent days. “A person may not report it for a couple of days and, in many situations, people don’t report it at all,” he said.

Health Department sanitarians have investigated food safety practices of the area restaurants and food service establishments in question. They also have run tests for common food-borne illnesses, all of which came back negative, Hass said.

“As time passes it gets harder to establish causal relationships,” he said.