Manar urges area farm families to participate in SIU Medicine’s Farm Family Resource Initiative survey

SPRINGFIELD - Farmers and their families have the opportunity to complete a survey aimed to improve a wide range of services that will be available to them from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Farm Family Resource Initiative program in the coming months.

Manar, who chairs the Illinois Senate Appropriations II Committee, worked closely with fellow Downstate Democrats to include funding in this year’s state budget to address many of today’s challenges facing Illinois farmers.

“Farmers and farm families are the lifeblood of our state’s economy, and they face unique challenges,” State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) said. “By prioritizing programs like the Farm Family Resource Initiative through a trusted partner like Southern Illinois University, we have the ability to reach out with support during this immensely difficult period.”

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Murphy urges residents to donate at upcoming blood drive

DES PLAINES – Hospitals have experienced a dire shortage of blood donations during the COVID-19 crisis, inspiring State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to host a community blood drive Wednesday, July 29, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Prairie Lakes Community Center, located at 515 E. Thacker St. in Des Plaines.

“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many blood drives were cancelled, causing a shortage that put many patients at risk,” said Murphy. “Now that we have the necessary safety protocols in place, I encourage healthy people to make an appointment to donate.”

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Gillespie brings Medicaid Working Group to safety-net hospitals

CHICAGO – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) welcomed legislators and staff to tour two safety-net hospitals on Tuesday. Attendees included members of the bipartisan Legislative Medicaid Working Group and Senate leadership.

“Our working group and Senate leaders were able to see first-hand the important role of safety-net hospitals and the work they do for underserved communities,” Gillespie said. “The patients served by safety-net hospitals are largely uninsured or are covered by Medicaid or Medicare; as a result, safety-net hospitals often look beyond traditional health care to addressing social determinants of care to better serve their communities.”

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Villanueva: Immigrant communities will not be silenced in the census

CHICAGO – After President Trump released a memorandum that calls for an unprecedented change that would exclude undocumented residents from the U.S. Census, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“Both citizens and non-citizens have been included in the official count since the first U.S. Census. The purpose of the census is to count all residents, regardless of status, so that the communities they live in receive adequate resources and accurate representation.

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