THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM APRIL 14, 2021 VOL. 104, ISSUE 13
Jackson County vaccination numbers continue to climb
World’s Largest Gun Show
Diksha Mittal | dmittal@dailyegyptian.com
Illinois is on a vaccination spree as the number of vaccine doses administered continue to grow every day. According to a Tweet from the Illinois Department of Public Health, over 7 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The CDC recommends vaccines to all Americans who are age 16 or above. JCHD has administered 55,000 vaccinations, with 32,000 of those being given to Jackson County residents, according to Paula Clark, the division director at the Jackson County Health Department. They are providing vaccinations from Monday to Saturday at the SIU Arena or Banterra Center and the Carbondale Civic Center. Among the vaccines offered, Clark said there is no single type that is more popular than others, though some people may have preferences when they come in. “There is not a more popular vaccine. Some people have a specific preference, while others prefer Johnson and Johnson because it is only one shot,” Clark said. On April 13, the Jackson County Health Department announced it would be pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to FDA recommendations. Use of the vaccine will resume with the state’s permission. Two gun sellers inspect a revolver at the world’s largest gun show, the Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show. The show was a two day event and took place on April, 10 and 11, 2021, at Expo Square in Tulsa, Okla. More than 25,000 people participated in the show. Monica Sharma | @ms_clicks
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DCFS reports over 1,000 child deaths in Illinois over last decade Courtney Alexander | @___Courtney_alex23____
The Office of the Inspector General, with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, released its annual 2021 report to the Governor and General Assembly. Although there’s been a decrease in the number of child deaths, the deaths over the decade left a mark. There have been 1,122 child deaths since 2010, and the deceased children had connections with DCFS within a year of their deaths. Lester G. Bovia, Jr., the interim inspector general of DCFS, said OIG investigates child deaths that occur each year, according to the report. “OIG’s most important work is our review and investigation of child deaths that meet OIG’s criteria for case opening – that is, child deaths where DCFS had contact with the family within the preceding year,” Bovia said. A death can be investigated by OIG, but the cause of death may be from other causes that have no relation to DCFS, Bovia said. “A child’s death may have met our criteria for case opening does not necessarily mean DCFS has any culpability for it,” Bovia said. “Sometimes, tragedy strikes due to external or natural causes having nothing to do with DCFS.
Nevertheless, child death case numbers are one metric OIG tracks for a snapshot of the state of the child welfare system.” The total number of child deaths is categorized each year by youth in care, natural causes, accidents, homicides, suicides, or undetermined causes. On average, there have been 105 deaths per year since 2000-2019, and child deaths have decreased by 17% since the 2020 annual report. Dana Weiner, a senior policy fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, said systemic influences create barriers that contribute to DCFS child fatality cases. “The report explains them better than me, but cultural factors, operational factors, and structural factors are systemic factors. There were some pervasive behaviors and attitudes among front-line staff that would and wouldn’t be taken seriously by the court,” Weiner said. “There were also blind spots where children could potentially remain in families where they were risks, and the families weren’t receiving services.” Making improvements to DCFS programs that are already established can also prevent child deaths. “I was asked by the governor to review the functioning of the intact family services program, after a couple of deaths of children who remained with their parents after an
investigation by DCFS. Intact is a preventive program that families are involved in when they are investigated,” Weiner said. The public can help support children and families by engaging in more community-based activities, and this also helps spread awareness about services that are available, Weiner said. “Child welfare systems are increasingly acknowledging the role of community and the larger community context in both creating risks, but also helping to support families so that they can have the protective factors that will keep children safe,” Weiner said. “I think the work that’s taking place in the area of prevention, tries to build capacity to deliver preventive services, but also to raise community awareness about services that are available.” Courtney Alexander can be reached at calexander@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at ___Courtney_ alex23______. See graphic on page 12