Rebuttal: Public knows where to go for swine flu vaccine

The Detroit News' Oct. 29 editorial about the Michigan Department of Community Health ("Information gap: Michigan should make instructions on obtaining swine flu shots more easily available") misrepresented the state's actions to address the H1N1 pandemic.

Local health departments are not starved for information about the H1N1 vaccine. The department is in constant communication with local partners about H1N1, whether we are providing updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or information about the latest vaccine allocation. Since the first wave of H1N1 this spring, we began hosting conference calls every other week to address issues. The calls have played a key role in facilitating the exchange of important information.

The Community Health Department regularly sends important updates electronically via the Michigan Health Alert Network to 4,000 stakeholders. Our weekly Michigan Flu Focus report summarizes flu activity in the state, and department staffers are in contact with various partners daily. We also hosted a pandemic influenza summit in September for state medical associations, local health departments and other partners to gather input and lay out communications strategies.

Production delays have slowed the vaccine's arrival and added to the complexities of an already unprecedented influenza season. However, the long lines at the vaccine clinics dispel this notion that the pubic is confused about where to go for the H1N1 vaccine as a myth.

Of course, all of our efforts have not been glitch-free. We routinely evaluate our efforts. We are revamping our Web site to make it more user-friendly.

The Department of Community Health is fully committed to working with our local partners to diminish the impact H1N1 has on individuals, families and communities here in Michigan. We have demonstrated that commitment time and again through our interaction with these partners. Claiming we are failing to do so is misguided and serves no one.

Janet Olszewski , Director

Michigan Department of Community Health

Lansing