Lake County Board delays continuing vaccines for adults
Should the Lake County Health Department provide vaccinations for adults?
Nearly a year into a trial adult-immunization program, county health officials want to be extra careful there aren't any liability issues with the agency administering vaccines to adults.
The board of health Wednesday night asked for legal clarification before deciding whether to make the program permanent.
"Theoretically, I think it's a great idea," said Shari Bornstein, board of health member and a Gurnee physician. "It's not that I want to discourage vaccinations. I'm just a little concerned (about the risks)."
The program was started to provide adults 18 and older with vaccines, many of them newly developed, that would prevent disabling diseases, including Hepatitis A and B, meningitis, pertussis, human papillomavirus and measles.
Traditionally, public health departments offer only children's immunizations that are mandated by law.
Lake County wants to join the ranks of a handful of suburban health departments, including DuPage and Kendall, that provide vaccines for adults.
Within the past 12 months, Lake County's adult clinic has administered about 80 vaccinations per month with a steady increase in demand. Predominantly, people are getting vaccines for Hepatitis A and B, tetanus, pertussis and human papillomavirus.
Karyn Lyons, Lake County Health Department immunization program coordinator, assured the health board the vaccines are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for adults.
The health department also thoroughly screens for patients' medical history and risks before giving the shots, she said.
"There is a significant amount of education we give," she said. "We don't push vaccines on anybody but would alert them to any vaccine that would be useful for them."
Lyons said people's immunization records often have been destroyed.
"There's many new vaccines that have never been given to adults as children," he said. "In some cases, their immunity would have waned."
The vaccines vary tremendously in cost but are not subsidized by state funding. Unlike the children's immunization program, the health department does not absorb the costs for anyone who cannot pay for the vaccines, said Bill Mays, director of community health services for the Lake County Health Department.
Yet, the vaccines are covered by Medicaid/Medicare reimbursements.
"We are offering these vaccines at cost, so we are expanding the opportunity for people to access them," Mays said. "It's not nearly as expensive as the private sector. We are trying to make this available but still affordable. We would continue to be vigilant about any kind of hardship posed by these fees."