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