Addressing the vaccination gap

Recently, we've been hearing a lot about how this is becoming a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."  But why are there still so many unvaccinated people?  It's tempting to believe they're all anti-vaxxers, and dis/misinformation are still a problem.  But a bigger problem is access.  Yes, the vaccines are free, but what about time off work, childcare, and transportation to and from the vaccine site?

Atlantic writer Ed Yong interviewed Rhea Boyd, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and public health advocate for this excellent article that takes a deeper look into this issue.

Dr. Rhea Boyd, photo from https://rheaboyd.com/about/

2018 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

2018 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

This AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) report assesses the performance of the U.S. healthcare system and identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses, as well as disparities, for access to healthcare and quality of healthcare. Quality is described in terms of six priorities: patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, effective treatment, healthy living and care affordability.

After the panel discussion at the October 2019 WHSLA - MWC/MLA Meting in Milwaukee, I thought this report might be of interest to some of you continuing the work in your own communities.