Springfield health officials admit they’re struggling to cope with influx of unvaxxed Haitian patients who don’t speak English

Springfield, Ohio’s public health infrastructure is struggling to keep up with an influx of Haitian immigrants who are largely unvaccinated against infectious diseases and who have not received basic medical care.

Health officials on the ground say baseless and sensational rumors about immigrants have obscured the very real strain hospitals and clinics have felt after 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants arrived in the town over the past five years – boosting its population by 25 percent over the past three years. 

In Haiti, polio vaccination rates have ranged between 60 and 90 percent, while measles vaccinations have hovered around 45 percent over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization. 

In the US, those rates are around 94 percent.  

The rapid influx of people in the small town has meant longer wait times to see a doctor for both citizens and new arrivals, as well as more time doctors must spend with patients due to the language barrier.  

Gov Mike DeWine has acknowledged the increasing pressure on Springfield’s healthcare system has had detrimental effects on both immigrants and natural-born citizens. 

He said when announcing new clinics to be erected in the city: ‘Our goal is to reduce wait times and to be able to provide the necessary healthcare services for everyone – whether you’ve lived in this community your whole life or you’ve just come into the community recently.’  

The Republican leader said the new clinics would address ‘a significant need’ and reach more people in search of primary healthcare. 

Since being set up, those clinics have seen roughly 100 new patients, though it is not clear how many of those people were immigrants. 

Most Haitian immigrants are in the US legally under the federal government’s program that allows people from Haiti to live and work in the US for a period of time because their home country is dealing with a myriad of issues, including fallout from a disastrous earthquake in 2010, persistent political unrest, and rampant gang violence. 

And many Haitian immigrants chose Springfield, Ohio for its low cost of living and good employment opportunities. 

Generally, new arrivals to the US from struggling countries have not been fully immunized, putting them at risk of illness and possibly spreading illness unbeknownst to them. 

Haiti, for instance, was one of the last countries in the world to begin distributing the Covid vaccine. But continued distrust of government bodies has contributing to lingering vaccine hesitancy when many arrive to the US. 

Additionally, Haiti’s public health system has been struggling for decades, with many residents unable to seek primary healthcare services like vaccinations and diabetes medicine. 

A survey of the healthcare landscape in Haiti reported 57 percent of healthcare facilities failed to meet the standards for quality access.

In Ohio, there has been concern among county health officials about recent increases in HIV infections identified there, though they have not attributed these increases directly to immigrants. 

The number of people diagnosed with the virus increased from 142 in 2018 to 178 in 2022. 

There were four active tuberculosis cases in Ohio’s Clark County, which encompasses Springfield, in 2023, an increase from three cases in 2022 and one in 2021, out of a general population of 135,000 people. 

At the same time, county-wide rates of vaccine-preventable diseases are down. 

These diseases include Haemophilus influenza (invasive disease), flu-associated hospitalization, Measles, Meningitis (viral and bacterial), Mumps, Pertussis, Rubella, Strep Group A, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Varicella. 

In 2020, the year in which immigration from Haiti tied to political and social unrest boomed, the county recorded 120 infections per 100,000 people. 

In 2021, that rate was 34 cases per 100,000. It spiked to 216 per capita in 2022, likely due to overall dwindling immunity in the wake of isolation due to Covid. It decreased again to about 91 per capita in 2023. 

Gov Mike DeWine [pictured] has acknowledged the growing strain affecting immigrants and natural-born citizens, announcing in September that the city would erect two new health clinics to address ‘a significant need there’

Ken Gordon, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, recognized Springfield’s health systems’ challenges and told CBS News the department is keeping a close watch to prevent possible outbreaks of vaccine-preventable measles, whooping cough, and even polio. 

There is no indication that polio is spreading.

But officials on the ground have suggested the city’s rapid population growth has left their clinics short-staffed and underprepared. 

When a significant influx of new residents arrives in a community, it’s expected to see a rise in illnesses like tuberculosis (TB) and measles. The increased population can lead to closer interactions among people, which facilitates the spread of infectious diseases, particularly among those who may be unvaccinated or have limited access to healthcare. 

Clark County health commissioner Chris Cook said: ‘No system is set up with a lot of headroom or capacity. 

‘We just don’t have doctors sitting around with nothing to do in our healthcare system.’

He added: ‘Hospitals are the health-care system in Haiti. And there’s not even a lot of those. So things like preventative care, primary health-care providers, in Haiti, they’re not really a thing.’

Thousands have arrived needing extensive primary care services and management for chronic illnesses such as diabetes.  

According to the Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD), ‘This exceeded expectations.’

Last month, the governor green-lit a minimum of $2.5million in state funds to expand Springfield’s primary healthcare infrastructure. 

The funding will help the Ohio Department of Health and local healthcare providers offer more services to residents, increase capacity at local healthcare facilities, offer more vaccinations and health screenings, and improve translation services.

At the same time, Mr Cook refuted claims that infectious diseases in Springfield are surging due to the influx of immigrants.

He said: ‘A common myth that I’ve heard is that we’ve seen all of our communicable diseases skyrocket and go through the roof. And really, when you look at the data, that’s not supported.’

Springfield was unwillingly thrust into the national spotlight after vice presidential candidate JD Vance drew attention to a Facebook post making a baseless claim that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating local pets

To overcome a language barrier that may be complicating healthcare, community health centers have added Haitian Creole interpreters to their staff.

Mr Cook added: ‘I can tell you one thing in particular: the language barrier that we’ve experienced does increase the time needed for health-care encounters.’

This has been causing tension on the ground, and anecdotal reports have emerged of natural-born citizens in Springfield – home to about 58,000 people – delaying care because of an inability to get a doctor’s appointment. 

Last year, interpreter Wislande Henley of Springfield told the Springfield News-Sun that since becoming a professional interpreter in January, she has seen an explosion of people and non-profits requesting her expertise to address the growing Haitian population, particularly in the healthcare field.

She said: ‘Sometimes it might take a couple more minutes for the patient to understand what the doctor is saying, but sometimes they (doctors) like to go quick. You want to get to the next patient.’

Recently, Springfield was unwillingly thrust into the national spotlight after vice presidential candidate JD Vance drew attention to a Facebook post making a baseless claim that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating local pets. 

It sparked anti-immigrant fervor that led to municipal and school building closures, bomb threats, and abuse against Haitian residents.