BACK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ALL SIGNS POINT TO A GROWING
RECOVERY FROM COVID AS ILLINOIS
IS SET TO ENTER ITS BRIDGE PHASE
TOMORROW.
AND THE CDC ISSUES NEW GUIDANCE
ABOUT MASK WEARING OUTSIDE.
BUT SOME COMMUNITIES ARE LAGGING
WAY BEHIND IN VACCINATION RATES
AND MANY ARE CLUSTERED ON THE
SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST SIDES OF THE
CITY.
RIVERDALE IS A VILLAGE SOUTH OF
THE BORDER OF CHICAGO.
HOME TO A MAJORITY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION AND
RIVERDALE HAS AMONG THE LOWEST
VACCINATION RATES IN THE COUNTY.
AS PART OF OUR "CHICAGO TONIGHT"
"IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES",
PARIS SCHUTZ AND MARISSA NELSON
SPENT THE DAY TO FIGURE OUT WHY
AND WHY LOCAL LEADERS PLAN WHAT
TO DO ABOUT IT.
>> BRANDIS, CONSIDER ILLINOIS'
VACCINATION RATE 36% FULLY
VACCINATED.
THE RATE HERE IN SOUTH SUBURBAN
RIVERDALE IS AT 14% AND ONLY 20%
RECEIVING THEIR FIRST SHOTS.
THOSE RATES ARE LAGGING WAY
BEHIND.
NOW, RIVERDALE SUFFERS FROM A
HIGH RATE OF POVERTY AND
DISINVESTMENT.
IT IS A TOWN OF AROUND 13,000
RESIDENTS.
26% OF WHICH LIVE BELOW THE
POVERTY LEVEL.
SO THAT PRESENTS A HOST OF
CHALLENGES WHEN DEALING WITH
COVID.
FOR STARTERS, MANY PEOPLE DON'T
HAVE CARS SO GETTING AROUND HERE
OR THE OTHER SOUTH SUBURBS
AROUND HERE YOU HAVE TO HOP ON
PACE.
IT MIGHT NOT BE AS EASY AS
HOPPING ON THE CTA AND PEOPLE DO
NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
AND PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND
THAT LEADS TO CONFUSION WHEN
ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID AND
VACCINATION AND WHETHER THE
VACCINES ARE SAFE IF YOU DON'T
HAVE THAT PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS WHERE
COOK COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS
COMING IN DOING POP-UP EVENTS
TRYING TO OVERCOME THOSE
BARRIERS.
>> THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
AS WE UNDERSTAND IN SOME OF THE
COMMUNITIES NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE
DRIVE FOR EXAMPLE.
SO THOSE ARE CERTAINLY BARRIERS.
THERE'S CERTAINLY A CERTAIN
LEVEL OF HESITANCY IN THOSE
COMMUNITIES.
MAINLY THEY ARE COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR, AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NOT HAD
EASY OR READY ACCESS TO
HEALTHCARE.
>> AND IN RIVERDALE WE DIDN'T
FIND ANY PERMANENT VACCINATION
SITES.
SO AGENCIES LIKE THE PARK
DISTRICT HAVE HAD TO STEP UP
DOING POP-UP SITES.
THEY DID ONE IN APRIL HOSTING
VACCINE CLINICS FOR RESIDENTS
AND THEY ARE PLANNING TO DO
ANOTHER ONE THIS WEEK AT SITES
THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
>> FOR THE MOST PART MOST PEOPLE
WANT TO HAVE IT AT A SMALLER
LOCATION NOT JUST A MASS
VACCINATION SITE.
I THINK IT'S MORE PERSONAL I
THINK THEY FEEL LIKE I'M JUST
NOT ON A LINE SOMEWHERE JUST
GETTING THE SHOT.
I DID HAVE A FEW PEOPLE TELL ME
THEY HAD TO DRIVE-THRU AND GET
THE SHOT AND THEY WERE NOT
COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
AND I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE
BEEN EITHER.
>> THE SAME THING WE HEARD
NEARBY IN HARVEY AT THE FAMILY
CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER.
Dr. LISA GREEN TELLS US THAT
SAME THING THE BIGGEST BARRIER
IS THE TRUSTWORTHINESS OF
PROVIDERS.
PEOPLE ARE SKEPTICAL OF THE
VACCINE ESPECIALLY IF THEY ONLY
HEAR ABOUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THERE ARE QUESTIONS PATIENTS
HAVE.
ONE WAS AFRAID THAT SYMPTOMS
WOULD BE WORSE THAN COVID
SYMPTOMS.
AND Dr. GREEN HAD TO CALM
THEIR NERVES THERE.
WHICH IS WHY HAVING COMMUNITY
CAREGIVERS DO THE BULK OF
VACCINE ADMINISTRATION MAKES ALL
THE DIFFERENCE.
>> COMMUNITY CARE WASN'T JUST IN
THE BUILDING BUT IT WAS THE
COMMUNITY.
AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MOVE
OUT OF THAT SPACE THAT YOU ARE
IN TO GET PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY
NEED TO BE.
AND SO WE STARTED GOING OUT INTO
THE COMMUNITY TO CHURCHES, TO
SCHOOLS, TO BUSINESSES, AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
IF WE HAVE TO GO DOOR-TO-DOOR
WHATEVER THAT IS THAT IS GOING
TO GIVE PEOPLE ENOUGH
INFORMATION THAT THEY FEEL THEY
CAN MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND
MOVE FORWARD.
>> INDEED WE MET A PATIENT FROM
NEARBY SUBURBAN MIDLOTHIAN WHO
WOULD ONLY DO IT AT THIS
FACILITY.
>> NO.
I MEAN MY DOCTOR BEEN TAKING
CARE OF ME FOR A WHILE I'VE BEEN
COMING HERE FOR MAYBE 10, 14
YEARS.
>> AND RIVERDALE AND SOME OF THE
SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES SOUTH
HOLLAND, HARVEY, THEY DO SUFFER
FROM HIGHER RATES OF VIOLENCE
AND SO A BIG CONCERN OVER THE
LAST YEAR IS POLICE DEPARTMENTS
KEEPING THEIR MEMBERS SAFE.
SOME OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS
SAY THEY ARE UNDERSTAFFED.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CASE OF AN
OUTBREAK A COVID OUTBREAK AMONG
THE POLICE FORCE?
>> THE CHIEF FROM SOUTH HOLLAND
AND DALTON WE HAD A MEETING WHEN
THIS ALL STARTED.
IF ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS GOT
TAKEN OUT COMPLETELY WHICH IS
EASY TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU HAVE
SOMEBODY WHO HAS IT AND GIVE IT
IS TO EVERYBODY ELSE WE WOULD
FILL IN AND HELP WITH THE OTHER
AGENCIES.
AND THEN WE ALSO CONTACTED THE
STATE AND THE COUNTY AS A
BACKUP.
BUT LUCKILY NONE OF OUR COUNTIES
NEEDED TO TAKEOVER ANOTHER
PERSON'S TOWN.
>> AND THE STRUGGLES THE
COMMUNITY FACES COVID OR
OTHERWISE.
RESIDENT JANTAE SPENCER FOUNDED
A NONPROFIT FOR KIDS CALLED
COMMUNITIES CREATING CHANGE FOR
ARTS AND CRAFTS, COOKING AND
OTHER THINGS TO HELP THEM DEAL
WITH THE TRAUMA THAT MANY OF
THEM FACE.
>> COMMUNITY SUFFERS FROM POLICE
HARASSMENT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER
BLACK COMMUNITY.
THIS COMMUNITY SUFFERS FROM THE
COMMUNITY DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS WHICH IS
WHY MY NOT-FOR-PROFIT IS SO
IMPORTANT BECAUSE OUR MISSION IS
TO BREAK THAT GENERATIONAL
CURSES, TO BREAK THAT
GENERATIONAL GAP WHERE THE
FAMILY IS SEPARATE.
NO, IT'S CHILD, PARENT,
GRANDPARENT, I CREATE PROOMS
THAT THEY CAN DO --
PROGRAMS THEY CAN DO TOGETHER.
>> RIVERDALE IS HOME TO CHUCK'S
GUNSHOP AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT
HAS DRAWN THE IRE OF GUN CONTROL
ADVOCATES FOR YEARS.
A LOT OF FIREARMS THAT WINDUP IN
CRIME SCENES THEY ORIGINATED AT
CHUCK'S GUNSHOP.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAUSED A LOT
OF ANGER.
WE ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE OWNER
AND THEY DECLINED OUR REQUEST
TODAY.
AND WE WILL BE BACK WITH MORE
FROM SOME PUBLIC SAFETY AND