OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, November 4, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Flu shot fumbled Faith in our health care system -- at the local, provincial and federal levels -- took a huge hit in the credibility department last week. Locally, the rollout of the heavily-publicized H1N1 vaccine was, in a word, a nightmare. Halton's poorly orchestrated first day of immunization against the second wave of pandemic H1N1 on Wednesday (Oct. 28) was a disaster, leaving many people waiting six hours -- much of it spent outside in the cold -- to receive their shot. The unanticipated level of public response to H1N1 clinics meant many people had to be turned away at one of two Halton sites more than an hour before the advertised clinic closing time of 8 p.m. While more than 4,000 people did receive the H1N1 vaccine in Halton on Day 1, the last of the shots were not administered until well after midnight, making for an unexpected extended wait for those seeking the vaccine -- including some with babies and toddlers in tow. Having just two H1N1 vaccination sites -- one in Acton that dispensed about 900 doses of vaccine and a second at Halton Region headquarters in Oakville that delivered 3,500 vaccinations -- was a recipe for disaster. From a strictly optics point of view, a media photo opportunity of Regional Chair Gary Carr receiving his dose of H1N1 vaccine in Oakville, Wednesday morning -- several hours before the first Halton residents received theirs -- did not look good. Then, by Friday afternoon last week, the Region was scrambling to get word out that nine previouslyannounced clinic sites scheduled for this week had been changed to just one site each in Halton Hills (Georgetown), Milton, Oakville and Burlington. Although the message coming from Halton's health officials prior to the first flu clinics was consistently about the importance of getting vaccinated, last week's Halton launch of H1N1 vaccine dramatically underestimated how many residents would heed that message. While recent and highly-publicized deaths of young people who contracted H1N1 may have been partly responsible for the unprecedented response to the offer of flu vaccine, health officials at all levels of government must share the blame for not having established a more clear, more consistent and efficient plan for every community in Canada. Despite the fact that pandemic planning has been taking place in Halton for several years, somehow we were still caught unprepared. In theory, health care in this country is supposed to be about equal access for everyone. Those who waited six hours for their shot -- compared to Carr's front-of-the-line service -- and anyone who was turned away from last Wednesday's Oakville clinic, because the system couldn't cope with patient load, would probably beg to differ. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editor Carr skipped line In the Oakville Beaver, Oct. 29 edition Halton Region Chair Gary Carr is all smiles getting his picture taken while receiving his H1N1 flu shot prior to the opening of the high-risk clinic. Is Carr high risk and, if so, why didn't he have to wait in line as everyone else has to? I am the father of a developmentally handicapped daughter who has seizures, chronic kidney disease and is also diagnosed with depression and anxiety. It is impossible for her to stand in a crowded line up for three or four hours. Because of the line ups and now anticipated shortages of the vaccine, when will my daughter receive her H1N1 flu shot? Why was she and others with handicaps not allowed to attend Carr's special clinic? FRANK MANLEY Not impressed by photo Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Carr responds to photo-op criticism impressive records in the I am writing regarding entire Province of Ontario. the e-mail that was copied This past weekend, our staff as the letter to the editor worked long hours to vacciregarding our vaccine photo nate our residents when opportunity. most Regions were not even As the Regional Chair open. and the Chair of the Board I want to thank all of the of Health, I have led by Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr staff and nurses who have example and used the photo receives his H1N1 flu shot. opportunity to raise awareness among resi- worked some very long hours and done such a dents about the importance of being vaccinat- wonderful job over the past week. ed. I am in the high-risk category because I I have received numerous e-mails and personally have spoken to hundreds of residents at have asthma. If even one person gets vaccinated because the clinics who have thanked me personally for of the photo in the paper or the television cov- the great job our staff has done in the largest erage, it will have been worthwhile. I will con- vaccination in Canadian history. Our website tinue to use every means available to me, has some of the comments that we have including the vaccination photo ops, to com- received from those who have been to our clinmunicate with the residents of Halton Region. ics. For more information on our clinics, please In the first five days of operation, the Region of Halton clinics have vaccinated see our website at www.halton.ca. GARY CARR, HALTON REGIONAL CHAIR 16,377 residents. This is one of the most I was not impressed seeing the photo in the Oakville Beaver, Oct. 29, of Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr receiving his H1N1 flu vaccine prior to the opening of the clinic. To me, it would have been much better if there was a photo of Carr speaking to those lining up (as the general public was asked to do) to receive their H1N1 flu vaccine, or Carr lining up with the public for his vaccination, presuming, of course, he met the criteria required to have such a vaccine at this particular time. ELSIE MCCALLUM Preferential treatment The Oakville Beaver, Oct. 29 edition, shows Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr using his position to jump the line for the H1N1 flu shot "prior to the opening of the clinic for high-risk individuals." Now the shots are limited to highrisk individuals only due to supply issues. The rest of the region's taxpayers can just wait their turn. At least we'll have the comfort of knowing that the politicians have protected themselves -- for our benefit I'm sure. DON WILSON