HIGHWOOD —  As the COVID-19 vaccine starts to make its way to Illinois, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is encouraging Lake County Residents to register to be notified when the vaccine is available. 

“The health and safety of Lake County residents is the top priority,” Morrison said. “I’m pleased a vaccination plan is being spearheaded by our local health department and being lead by experts and scientists.”

The Lake County Health Department announced the creation of the Lake County AllVax Portal Wednesday — which allows Lake County residents to register to be notified when a COVID-19 vaccine is available to them. 

Registration is quick and easy, simply requiring residents to enter basic information and answer a few screening questions. Once registered, people will be notified when the vaccine is available and given the chance to schedule their vaccination appointments through the Lake County clinics and other facilities. The portal also includes answers to frequently asked questions on COVID-19 vaccination.

Initial vaccine supply will be limited, so groups of people who are at higher risk — either due to their wellbeing or job — will be the first people eligible for the vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helping state and local health departments distribute the vaccine fairly. 

“The portal — and eventually distribution of the vaccine — will help us protect our communities and begin to return to normalcy,” Morrison said. “Do your part for the community and register today.” 

To register, people can visit AllVax.lakecohealth.org or call the Lake County Health Department at 847-377-8130.

HIGHWOOD — As other members of the General Assembly raise concerns about the FOID card backlog and outline a Second Amendment agenda, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is encouraging her colleagues to support the final push for her comprehensive firearms measure. 

“Fix the FOID is not anti-gun — it simply ensures guns are not possessed by people who should not legally have them,” Morrison said. “Fingerprinting everyone who applies for a card will help raise red flags if that person has a violent criminal history that should keep them from having a firearm.”

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. —State Senators Julie Morrison and Adriane Johnson are congratulating a number of Lake County-based museums who were awarded part of a $22.8 billion grant to improve facilities and develop new exhibits. 

“Museums serve as a place for people to explore, families to bond and children to learn,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Due to the ongoing public health crisis, many of these outstanding facilities have lost money, despite continuing to share their facilities with the public through new virtual ways.” 

Buffalo Grove Park District was one of more than three dozen institutions to receive part of the $22.8 million in funding. The Educational Gardens at The Nature Classroom program through the park district received $246,000. 

“Museums and the exhibits and programs they offer help tell a story of our community and state’s history,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “The additional funding will allow these institutions to expand, grow and create more opportunities for Lake County residents and all who visit.”

The Illinois Public Museum Capital Grants Program, spearheaded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, was open to any museum operated by a local government or located on municipally-owned land.

The  Waukegan History Museum Expansion at the Carnegie Center through the Waukegan Park District, located in the district Johnson represents, also received $750,000 in assistance through the grant program. 

Additionally, the Chicago Botanic Garden, located in the district Morrison represents, received $750,000 for water main improvements. 

For more information on the Museum Capital Grant Program, visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resource’s website.

DEERFIELD – As a steadfast advocate of helping underserved children, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is excited to congratulate the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center on achieving re-accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance.

The Lake County Children's Advocacy Center is a safe, child-focused environment where a child visits after police or the Department of Children and Family Services believes the child is being abused. The child tells their story to the trained interviewer, who then works with a team to help the child.

DEERFIELD –State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is pleased to learn 19 businesses in the district she represents have received financial assistance from the Business Interruption Grant program to help offset financial losses stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and she is encouraging more to apply.

“Small business owners have been some of the people hardest hit by the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Morrison said. “These funds will help them keep their doors open and their employees paid while keeping the community safe.”

DEERFIELD – Nearly two months after thousands of children under the Department of Children and Family Service’s care were transitioned to a new health care program, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) led a hearing to discuss how the transition went and what changes still need to be made to the program.

“While I’m pleased thousands of children have received better care, more must be done to make sure every child in the DCFS system receives adequate health care regardless of ZIP code or family background,” Morrison said. “Foster families have already sacrificed so much to take care of our state’s most vulnerable children. They shouldn’t have to consider uprooting their families to find local, quality care.”

DEERFIELD – To make it easier for people to report child abuse and neglect, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services enhanced its online reporting system. State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is encouraging the public and mandatory reporters to use the website to report issues at a faster pace.

“Oftentimes, both children and adults find themselves in vulnerable situations where they don’t feel comfortable picking up the phone to make a report or can’t do so immediately,” Morrison said. “Not only does this make the reporting process easier, it expedites the case management process and lessens the number of return calls needed during times of high call volume.”

DCFS last month upgraded its online reporting system, with improved entry fields, clearer instructions and fewer necessary clicks, reducing the time required to make reports.

DEERFIELD – During a Senate Human Services Committee Monday, Chairman Julie Morrison called on the Department of Children and Family Services for greater transparency relating to child deaths and injuries that happen under the agency’s watch.  

“Every member of the General Assembly should receive the Death or Serious Life-Threatening Injury Report each month so we can all be aware of these tragedies,” Morrison (D-Lake Forest) said. “We need to know about those children, their cause of death and the circumstances.”