Vaccine Inequity Prevalent in Hawaiian Gardens
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BY BRIAN HEWS • March 16, 2021
The effects of the vaccine inequity are being felt in the tiny town of Hawaiian Gardens. The closest vaccination site and it’s 10 miles away in Downey and that’s causing problems for many residents in the city.
As of this week only 9% of Hawaiian Gardens residents have been vaccinated compared to 18% in Lakewood and nearly 27% in Cerritos.
LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer is in favor of providers giving out the shots instead of “putting a vaccination site in every neighborhood. Our strategy has been to figure out ways to help them build their capacity.”
Credit: UCLA Health
A new study involving UCLA researchers finds that mobile stroke units (MSUs) - state-of-the-art ambulances built to provide stroke patients with emergency neurological diagnosis and treatment prior to hospital arrival improve patient outcomes and lessen the chance for disability by delivering care faster than standard stroke care.
The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit serves as a shared regional resource of LA County EMS Provider Agencies, taking patients to 15 different stroke center hospitals within 3 regions in Los Angeles County. The MSU carries a CT scanner that can directly image the brain and blood vessels in the field. UCLA was one of seven national mobile stroke unit programs to participate in the clinical trial, which was presented March 17 at the International Stroke Conference.
MORE A health worker prepares a COVID vaccine shot at Dodger Stadium, a massive vaccination site in LA County, March 13, 2021. It s 25 miles from Hawaiian Gardens, but frequently it s the closest site with available appointments. Photo by Brian Hardzinski.
It was just before Christmas that Carl Kulzer started getting headaches. He felt dizzy and tired.
He found out a week later: He was positive for COVID-19. He’s since recovered and is doing well, but after that he was determined to get protected. “I thought hey, I better get this damn shot as soon as I can. I’m 83 years old, I’m no kid anymore.”
Why Hawaiian Gardens residents have a tough time getting vaccinated MORE A health worker prepares a COVID vaccine shot at Dodger Stadium, a massive vaccination site in LA County, March 13, 2021. It s 25 miles from Hawaiian Gardens, but frequently it s the closest site with available appointments. Photo by Brian Hardzinski.
Hawaiian Gardens has one of the lowest vaccination rates in LA county 9%. That’s partly because there aren’t many vaccination sites nearby, and the closest appointments are typically 10 miles away in Downey. There’s been a lot of bureaucracy in trying to set up a vaccination site in Hawaiian Gardens
“We’ve been asking for these mobile unit sites, and we haven’t received any, and we haven’t received any leads either. So I don’t know. It’s just a waiting game, I guess. . And we’re left to fend for ourselves in what seems to be like a Wild Wild West situation,” says Hawaiian Gardens Councilmemb
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