As COVID surges, I-HOPE, an Indiana health initiative targets Wayne County

RICHMOND, Ind. — Wayne County's COVID-19 surge continues.

Just this week, the county surpassed 300 COVID-related deaths, 16,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and a 25% positivity rate. It also set a single-day high of 213 cases Tuesday, according to Indiana State Department of Health day-by-day statistics.

Through just 19 January days, the county had accumulated 2,680 cases and 15 deaths, according to the state. The case total is nearly 900 cases more than any other month during the pandemic, and the month's daily average of 141 cases is just two cases fewer than the highest single-day total from the pandemic's first 22 months, 143 cases on Aug. 31, 2021.

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Christine Stinson, the executive director of the Wayne County Health Department, told the Wayne County Board of Health during Thursday's monthly board meeting that "things are really bad." But, although the numbers are staggering, a winter spike was expected, especially with about half the county's residents remaining unvaccinated.

"We've been sounding this alarm, letting everyone know this is coming, this is coming, and we're here," Stinson said. "We as the citizens are in control of how high we let this peak go."

Stinson continued to encourage residents to get vaccinated, wear masks, avoid crowds, stay home if sick and follow quarantine and isolation guidelines.

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COVID's impact on the county has made it a target for the Indiana Healthy Opportunities for People Everywhere initiative that's a partnership between the state's health department and Purdue University. The two-year program is funded by $34.8 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I-HOPE sending Purdue, Regenstrief representatives for study

Teams from the Purdue Healthcare Advisors in the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering will study underlying causes of disparities in health outcomes within 30 Indiana counties. Wayne County is among the five counties — with Cass, Daviess, Lake and Elkhart — where the program will begin, said Melanie Cline, the director of Purdue Healthcare Advisors, during a presentation to Wayne County commissioners and council members Wednesday night.

A five-member team plans to spend three days a week in Wayne County talking to residents and leaders to understand the community's perspective on what changes could improve county residents' health outcomes. The team will develop a strategy and priorities to address the relevant issues, Cline said, then measure those actions' impacts.

"We want to learn and figure out what works and makes a difference and spread that to other communities in our state," Cline said.

One reason Wayne County tops the initiative's list is that it's among Indiana counties most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has the 25th most cases per 100,000 residents, but the 10th most deaths per 100,000, according to state statistics.

The county also has struggled with opioid addictions and overdose deaths. More than 50 people have died from overdoses each of the past three years.

The CDC also computes a social vulnerability index that rates the potential negative effects on a community caused by external stresses on human health. In the 2018 index, Wayne County's 0.7105 (on a scale of zero to 1) is the state's eighth-highest rating.

"I think any group that is here to help work on anything to improve disparities in Wayne County, I welcome it," Stinson said.

She said the high COVID-19 death rate concerns her, and this group could help understand why the rate is so high. Stinson said factors such as population age or lack of rural medical care could impact the rate, but at this point, she doesn't know.

The state reports 302 Wayne County resident deaths because of COVID complications. Nearly half (47.7%) were people age 80 or older, and three-quarters (75.8%) were age 70 or older.

"I love any kind of group that can come in and help us figure out what the issues are and what we can do to make this a better community," Stinson said.

The group includes Elisa Worland, who works for Purdue Extension as Wayne County's health and human sciences and community development educator. She particularly spoke about the county's opioid problem, saying the county's Narcan use leads the state. Narcan is an opioid overdose antidote.

"I'm excited to have these folks," she said. "We need to move the needle here."

Worland said the group team will work on "siloing issues" where county groups do not communicate and hopes to bridge those gaps.

Childhood vaccinations

During Thursday's health board meeting, Chris Simons, the health department's director of clinical services, said the department is prioritizing childhood immunizations other than COVID-19.

He said 71% of children 19 to 35 months old have received their necessary vaccinations. The county normally has about 81% of its students having received their needed immunizations, but that number has dropped to 76%.

"We're working on getting that back up," Simons said.

The pandemic could be one reason fewer children are receiving their other vaccinations. Other issues also were mentioned, however, such as a lack of providers and a lack of awareness about the health department.

"We don't want to drop the ball on these vaccinations during the pandemic," said Dr. Paul Rider, the health board's president.

COVID vaccinations

A state COVID-19 vaccination team will return Jan. 25-29 to the Tom Raper Center at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

Vaccinations will be given noon-8 p.m. each of those days.

The health department is teaming with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County to provide COVID-19 and flu vaccinations 4-6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, at the First Bank Boys & Girls Club on North 12th Street.

There will be a raffle, prizes and food during the event.

Stinson said Wayne County lags behind the state vaccination rate. Through Wednesday, 30,934 residents were fully vaccinated. That's about 47% of the county's population.

Vaccination appointments can be made by calling 211 or visiting ourshot.in.gov.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Wayne County targeted in Purdue, Regenstrief health initiative