EAST ST. LOUIS – State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) is congratulating the East St. Louis Health Transformation Partnership for receiving funding to create community-based programs to reduce health disparities and expand access to quality, affordable health care in the region.

“East St. Louis is the most distressed community in the state,” said Belt, who voted to fund the program. “This funding will ensure that the most vulnerable populations have access to quality and affordable health care.”

The Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives’ goal is to reorient health care in Illinois to reduce inequities, improve health outcomes, address social determinants of health and assist underserved communities with access to quality health care. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services will administer a total of $94.3 million in funding to equity-focused health care collaboratives across Illinois.

East St. Louis Health Transformation Partnership, spearheaded by Touchette Regional Hospital, is one of eight awardees for the first round of funding. The funding will be used to realign the health delivery system and improve the quality of life for those living in the East. St. Louis Metro Area. The participating entities include SIHF Healthcare, SIU School of Medicine, Hoyleton Youth and Family Services, Centene, Memorial Medical Group, ConferMed Weitzman Institute, Washington University, Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center and Zade, Inc.

This project will address the issues of unmet health needs, social barriers, lack of connectivity between organizations, years of disinvestment, limited jobs and inequities in the workforce. These efforts will make the necessary transformations over the next five years to advance the health and well-being of the residents in the Metro East. Major projects include a new health care campus near major highways and transportation hubs, development of an urgent care center and a community health hub in midtown East St. Louis, deployment of community health workers, a new workforce development and job training center in Venice and improvements to public housing throughout the area.

“I’m proud to see funding being spent on communities that have been in desperate need of access to health care for far too long,” Belt said. “We will continue to break down the inequalities present in our health care system and work towards quality health care for all.”

More information is available on the Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives website.

MARYVILLE – Felicity Guttman, a recent graduate of Edwardsville High School, was one of just five students statewide selected by the Illinois Conservation Foundation to receive the Conservation Achievement Scholarship, State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) announced Tuesday.

Guttman was chosen for the scholarship because of her work to reduce pollution in farming.

“It’s encouraging to see our state recognize students who make an effort to preserve and protect our natural resources,” Crowe said. “The Metro East community is fortunate to have Felicity promoting sustainable practices in the agriculture industry and representing local environmental interests.”

Last year, Guttman began raising chickens and found a creative way to reduce waste: she composted chicken manure to use as fertilizer in her garden beds.

Guttman is also passionate about keeping her neighborhood clean and always carries a bag on walks to pick up trash along the way.

According to ICF, awardees must be Illinois high school seniors who demonstrate efforts to enhance and promote Illinois' natural resources. All five scholarship recipients will receive $2,000 to use for college expenses.

Guttman plans to study crop and soil science while pursuing a degree in agronomy at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

“Caring for the environment should be inherent in us,” Crowe said. “I applaud the scholarship recipients for taking an active role in promoting sustainable practices, as well as all other young people working to care for our planet.”

More information on the scholarship program and a list of other recipients can be found on ICF’s website.

BUFFALO GROVE – To make it even more convenient for residents to ask questions and get assistance with state services, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) is hosting mobile office hours throughout the summer in locations across the 30^th District.

“One of the most important parts of public service is being accessible,” Johnson said. “Not every resident has the time or transportation to visit my office—so I’m bringing my office to them.”

The first mobile office hours event will be held Tuesday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Buffalo Grove Park District’s Alcott Center, located at 530 Bernard Drive.

For those who are unable to make the July 13 session, Johnson will also host evening office hours on Monday, July 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Vernon Hills Park District’s Sullivan Center, located at 635 N. Aspen Drive.

Johnson invites residents to stop by either event for help with unemployment cases and state services, or simply to discuss issues facing the community.

“Parents and residents who work long hours often find it difficult to schedule a visit during the workday,” Johnson said. “I want to offer everyone the opportunity to talk with me.”

Future mobile office hours events will be announced on Johnson’s Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on her website, www.SenatorAdrianeJohnson.com.

Residents can also contact Johnson’s office for assistance at 847-672-6201 or www.SenatorAdrianeJohnson.com/contact-us.

GLENVIEW – Starting this month, unemployed Illinoisans in need of health insurance through the ACA Marketplace are eligible for financial assistance, State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) announced Tuesday.

“Every Illinoisan deserves access to quality, affordable health care, and I’m pleased to see President Biden’s American Rescue Plan paving the way for many families to be able to afford health insurance,” Senator Fine said. “Individuals struggling to find employment should take advantage of this special enrollment period to prevent a possible lapse in insurance coverage.”

Thanks to new tax credits made possible by the federal American Rescue Plan, Illinoisans who received, or are approved to receive, unemployment compensation in 2021 may be able to find lower-cost plans and reduce out-of-pocket health insurance premiums when purchasing plans through the ACA Marketplace.

To maximize savings, individuals are encouraged to enroll in coverage on HealthCare.gov before the current special enrollment period closes on Aug. 15. Illinoisans can receive enrollment assistance at GetCoveredIllinois.gov.

“Anyone who has received unemployment income in 2021 should submit a new application or update their existing one,” said Illinois Department of Insurance Acting Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. “You may find that with the advanced premium tax credits, your monthly premium could average $10 or less per month, or even $0.”

More information on the 2021 Special Enrollment Period in Response to COVID-19 for the ACA Marketplace and the American Rescue Plan can be found here.

CHICAGO – Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker announced funding for equity-focused health care collaboratives across Illinois. The Chicago North Side Collaborative will help increase health care equity for lower-income and BIPOC residents in the area – particularly in the LGBTQ and Asian American communities.

“This initiative should help provide more 7th District residents with a pathway to specialty care who otherwise have been very poorly served by our healthcare system,” said State Senator Mike Simmons, who represents much of the collaborative’s coverage area. “This collaborative is intended to help ensure more residents get the full scope of care that they need. I look forward to seeing how these partnerships work over the coming months and years to start closing the gaps in access to specialty care for our residents who need much better and more comprehensive treatment than they have received.”

Happy Independence Day

With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus are reminding communities to celebrate safely and to reflect on the meaning of the day. Click here to read a special word about the holiday from many of our Senators.

Senate Democrats praise work done to increase Moody's rating for the first time in two decades

SPRINGFIELD – For the first time in more than 20 years, Illinois’ General Obligation bond rating got an upgrade from Moody’s Investors Service – one of the nation’s primary credit rating agencies. Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus praise the General Assembly’s work to get the state to this point.

“Stability and responsibility produce results. You don’t need to ruin people’s lives to have sound fiscal policies and positive outcomes,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). “I want to thank Governor Pritzker and Speaker Welch for their teamwork in helping us find a better way forward.”

Read more.

Illinois allows student-athletes to be compensated

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois now allows student-athletes to be paid for the use of their names, image, or likenesses because of ex-NFL and Northwestern University alum State Senator Napoleon Harris, III (D-Harvey).

“Finally student-athletes will receive some financial benefit for the use of their names, images, and likenesses,” Harris said. “Their schools will no longer receive all the financial benefits. The students deserve compensation from the hard work of being a college athlete and making their schools millions of dollars.”

Read more.

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With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus are reminding communities to celebrate safely and to reflect on the meaning of the day.

“As a veteran, I encourage people to remember why we celebrate the Fourth of July,” said Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago). “We commemorate those individuals who fought for our independence and the troops who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”

Independence Day celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, which declared that the thirteen American colonies would no longer be under the rule of Britain’s King George III and united the colonies as free and independent states.

From family picnics to big firework shows, people across Illinois will celebrate the freedom granted to this great nation years ago.

“The Fourth of July commemorates the ultimate sacrifice made for our freedom,” State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) said. “As we celebrate our country’s freedom, it’s important to remember those who fought for our independence then and those who serve our country today.”

PLAINFIELD – Ava “Gracie” Benstine, a recent graduate of Oswego High School, was one of just five students statewide selected by the Illinois Conservation Foundation to receive the Conservation Achievement Scholarship, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) announced Friday.

Benstine was chosen for the $2,000 scholarship because of her dedication to environmental protection in her community.

“Positive change always starts at the local level,” Loughran Cappel said. “In order to curb the very real effects of climate change, we need more people like Gracie Benstine to lead the way in our communities.”

Volunteering at a community food pantry garden, Benstine composted natural fertilizer, collected rainwater, and helped provide 2,000 pounds of produce for families in need. As a member of the local Student Leadership Initiative Program and the National Honor Society, Benstine also helped remove invasive plants at local forest preserves, participated in cleanups along the Fox River, raised money for tree planting efforts, and organized student-to-student efforts to study and combat impacts of climate change.

“Gracie’s long list of accomplishments speak for themselves, and I could not be more proud of her for taking the initiative to make a difference in her community,” Loughran Cappel said.

Benstine’s nominators praised her community service ethic and student leadership roles. Benstine plans to attend Augustana College in Rock Island.

More information on the scholarship program and a list of other recipients can be found on ICF’s website.