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OSF HealthCare Using Data and AI to Drive an Increase in Childhood Vaccinations
February 25, 2021 GMT
(PRNewsfoto/OSF HealthCare)
PEORIA, Ill., Feb. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Despite the availability of free routine immunizations for low-income families through a federal program, many children are not vaccinated, vaccinated late for their age, or don’t complete the course of the immunization schedule. Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare wants to change that.
Through a nearly $75,000 grant available through its Jump ARCHES program, and nearly $30,000 in state grant funding through the Illinois Innovation Network, OSF Innovation and partners are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to design, develop and deploy a mobile child vaccination program for underserved communities in Illinois.
WCBU s On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, February 11, 2021. Our top story is about how the large encampment of people experiencing homelessness, living under the Murray Baker Bridge made headlines last year. Now, Phoenix Community Development Services has secured permanent shelters for 12 of them. WCBU student reporter Jordan Mead has that story. You ll also hear how surging overall demand for the COVID-19 vaccine may mask hesitancy among certain populations, particularly among people of color. That s why Dr. Abeer AlMajali an infectious diseases physician at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria is conducting a survey in Peoria County to find and hopefully address the concerns that may make some think twice before rolling up their sleeve.
Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio
Surging overall demand for the COVID-19 vaccine may mask hesitancy among certain populations, particularly among communities of color.
That s why Dr. Abeer AlMalaji, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, is coordinating a survey in Peoria County to find and address the concerns that may make some think twice before rolling up their sleeve.
Tim Shelley: So you re kind of doing a survey to figure out where in the community there s vaccine hesitancy. Tell me a little bit about how that s being done.
Dr. Abeer AlMajali: Yeah. So basically, I mean, from polls that have been done in several parts of the country, we are realizing that there are certain patient populations that seemed more hesitant to receive the vaccine than others. And the trend has repeatedly been that it s underserved populations, or populations that have poor access to health, and populations of people of color.
Dr. John Fonge, left, and Dr. Kelvin Wynn.
Racial disparity remains a problem in the health care field, with fewer Black men applying to, and enrolling in, medical school today than in the 1970s.
“When you look in terms of the of the of the number of the physicians in this country, only 2% are Black men. So that’s appalling,” said Dr. Kelvin Wynn, a practicing family medicine specialist with UnityPoint Healthcare. “Then when you look at medical school enrollment, back in 1978-79, the enrollment was actually about 3.1%, and actually in 2019-2020 it was lower at 2.9%.”
Dr. John Fonge, a practicing pediatrician with OSF Health Care, believes attracting more Black men into medical careers is critical to the community’s well-being.
Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio
Overall demand for COVID-19 vaccinations is strong in the Peoria area and statewide. But that high demand can mask a hesitancy among some groups to roll up their sleeves and get the shot. This is especially true among Black and Latinx communities.
It s an issue local public health officials are addressing on multiple levels in the quest for herd immunity through widespread vaccination.
More than 19,000 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Tri-County area since December. That s included frontline healthcare workers and long-term care residents, so far.
There hasn t been a major lack of demand as of yet. But upon drilling down, enthusiasm is far lower among some communities.