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‘ILL-PREPARED’ group blames illinois’ lack of preperation on ‘pre-existing’ nurse shortage; says state is even more vulnerable now
by peter hancock
Capitol News Illinois
A new report from an Illinois think tank says the state was ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily because of a pre-existing shortage of nurses, and that the pandemic has left state even more vulnerable in the event of another public health crisis. The report, by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization with strong ties to organized labor, also argues the state would be in a better position if nurses at more hospitals were unionized and if the state adopted a law requiring mandatory minimum nurse staffing levels, an idea that was proposed in the 2019 legislative session but was not adopted. But while the Illinois Health and Hospital Association agrees there is a nursing shortage, it argues the lack of preparedness was more of a federal problem, and that the nursing shortage did not diminish the quality of care patients received. It strongly opposes legislation requiring minimum nurse staffing levels at hospitals, and disputes any correlation between the quality of patient care and the presence of a nurses’ union in a hospital. The report notes that even before the pandemic, Illinois had a shortage of about 20,000 nurses
statewide and that the shortage will likely be exacerbated in the coming years because about half of the nurses practicing are older than 55. “Even prior to the pandemic, more than 75 percent of registered nurses reported that insufficient staffing levels adversely affects their job satisfaction,” the report states, citing a national survey of nurses in 2019. “COVID-19 has the potential to exacerbate the nursing shortage if registered nurses feel even more overworked and stressed.” The report examines patient care data from all 169 hospitals in Illinois, 14 of which are unionized and 155 of which are not. All but four of the unionized hospitals are in Cook County and include some of the largest health care facilities in the state. Across all levels of care, it noted, nurses in unionized hospitals were able to spend more hours per day treating their patients. They also had lower turnover rates and lower vacancy rates for registered nurses. The report does not draw specific connections to staffing levels, or union presence, and patient outcomes during the pandemic. Frank Manzo, the institute’s policy director, said it’s difficult to say with certainty the extent to which the nursing
see ‘iLL-prepared’ page 2
pag e 2 | Wednes day, JULY 1, 20 20 | buglen e w s pa p e r s .c om ‘ill-prepared’ from page 1 shortage contributed to the severity of the pandemic in Illinois. “What we can say is that we could have had more infection prevention and control staff,” he said. “We could have had better turnover rates and retention rates for nurses and lower vacancy rates and that would have made us better prepared for the pandemic.” Last year, Rep. Fred Crespo, DHoffman Estates, introduced House Bill 2604, which would have required hospitals to have at least one nurse for every four patients in medical-surgical units; one for every three patients in intermediate care; and one for every two patients in intensive care. The bill
passed out of a House committee but was never voted on by the full House. “If the legislation had been fully implemented, Illinois would have had between 17,500 and 19,100 more registered nurses – which would have eliminated the shortage of registered nurses,” the report states. But Danny Chun, spokesman for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, strongly disagreed that hospitals weren’t prepared for the pandemic. “First of all, we’ve been drilling and doing exercises on pandemics before the pandemic hit,” Chun said during an interview. “Every hospital in the state, as you know, has an emergency
see ‘ill-prepared’ page 3
W e d n es day, JU LY 1, 2 0 2 0 | b u g l e n e w spap e r s. c o m | pag e 3 ‘ill-prepared’ from page 2 preparedness plan for disasters of all kinds – mass shootings, traffic accidents, biochemical, biohazard, flu epidemics or pandemics. In the city of Chicago last year in the summer of 2019, Chicago hospitals did an exercise, a drill with the Chicago Department of Public Health on this exact issue – pandemics. And we were directly involved in a lot of the planning and discussions back in January, February, March where hospitals got ready for the pandemic.” Chun said hospitals were directly involved in discussions with Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration in the early stages of the pandemic to plan mitigation efforts, including the decision to cancel or postpone nonemergency surgeries and procedures in order to free up hospital resources for COVID-19 patients. “Look at the numbers. We flattened the curve,” Chun said, referring to hospitalization data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which have shown a consistent downward trend since May in hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and ventilator usage by COVID-19 patients. If there was any weakness in preparation, Chun said, it was with the federal government and its failure to maintain a national stockpile of personal protective equipment as well as open supply chains with China, where most PPE is manufactured. Enacting a law requiring minimum staffing levels, Chun argued, would not solve the state’s nursing shortage and would likely harm many smaller hospitals as well as safety-net hospitals in urban areas that wouldn’t be able to meet the requirements. “You have an existing shortage of at least 21,000 nurses in Illinois,” he said. “Simply requiring hospitals to have a certain number of nurses does not create new nurses. In and of itself, ratios don’t do anything.” Chun argued that to address the nursing shortage, the state needs a multi-pronged strategy that includes more scholarships for nursing students, incentives to keep nurse educators in the workforce, and policies that would make it easier for nurses licensed in other states to practice in Illinois.
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deadline for cl assifieds: friday at 11 a .m.
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real estate IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff, v. MICHAEL DAOUST; CITY OF JOLIET; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendant(s). gage Foreclosure
Residential Mort-
Case No. 20CH594 Property Address: 1010 Westshire Dr. Joliet, IL 60435 NOTICE BY PUBLICATION NOTICE IS GIVEN YOU, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendants, this case has been commenced in this Court against you and others, asking for foreclosure of the Mortgage held by the Plaintiff on the property located at 1010 Westshire Dr., Joliet, IL 60435, more particularly described as: LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY LOT 85 AND THE SOUTH 10.00 FEET OF LOT 84, IN WEST PLAZA, A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 5, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, RANGE 10, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED SEPTEMBER 2, 1925 AS DOCUMENT NO. 384223, IN WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS. Permanent Index Number: 30-07-05-314007-0000 Commonly known as: 1010 Westshire Dr., Joliet, IL 60435 By order of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, this case is set for Mandatory Mediation on August 13th, 2020 at 1:00 pm via ZOOM VIDEO CONFERENCING. A lender representative will be present along with a court appointed mediator to discuss options that you may have and to pre-screen you for a potential mortgage modification. Will County, Illinois Foreclosure Mediations will, until further notice, be conducted via Zoom Video Conferencing (which is similar to Skype). Please contact the Attorney firm shown at the end of this legal notice for Meeting ID and Password information for this Zoom Conference. Zoom Video Conferencing is free and can be used with a laptop or smartphone with a camera or even a landline. UNLESS YOU FILE your answer or otherwise file your appearance in this cause in the Office of the Circuit Court of Will County at the Will County Courthouse located at 57 N. Ottawa St., Joliet, IL 60432 on or before July 31, 2020, A JUDGMENT OR DECREE BY DEFAULT MAY BE TAKEN AGAINST YOU FOR RELIEF ASKED IN THE COMPLAINT FOR FORECLOSURE. THIS COMMUNICATION IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. 233 S. Wacker Drive, 70th Floor Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 566-0040 Fax: (312) 566-0041 Published 7/1, 7/8, 7/15
Phone: 1515.436.2431 web: buglenewspapers.com/classifieds email: classifieds@buglenewspapers.com
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Phone: 1515.436.2431 >> Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. FAX: 1515.439.25415 email: classifieds@enterprisepublications.com IN PERSON: Enterprise Publications >> 231556 Andrew Rd. >> Plainfield, IL
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Will County to send Vote By Mail Application soon Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry announces that her office will begin sending Vote By Mail applications to every registered voter in the next two weeks. The applications will arrive at homes in clearly marked envelopes that also contain personalized Voter Registration Cards. Registered voters simply need to sign their pre-filled applications and send them back to the Will County Clerk’s Office to receive a Vote By Mail Ballot for the Nov. 3 Presidential Election. Vote By Mail is a safe and secure way to cast a ballot without having to personally visit a Polling Place on Election Day or an Early Voting location in the weeks prior to the Election. Citizens across the country have demonstrated an increased interest in casting ballots by mail to minimize the risk of catching the COVID-19 virus. Concerned about community spread of the potentially deadly virus, the Illinois General Assembly in May passed sweeping legislation that, in essence, requires county clerks to send Vote By Mail applications to every registered voter. Senate Bill 1863 also re-
quires the inclusion of the following language in official public announcements from county clerks: “Due to COVID-19, all 2020 General Election voters are encouraged to cast a ballot prior to Election Day, either by mail or during early voting. Voting by mail is an easy option for voters and you can request a Vote By Mail ballot through email, mail, or in person. An application is available from your local election authority or at: https://elections.il.gov/electionoperations/VotingByMail.aspx. To register to vote or check your registration status, visit: https:// ova.elections.il.gov.” “The new legislation was designed to place applications for Vote By Mail Ballots into the hands of virtually every registered voter,” County Clerk Staley Ferry said. “My staff and I are working tirelessly to make certain that it is quick and convenient to submit these applications so that registered voters can receive their ballots through the mail. With the potential for a second wave of COVID-19 later this year, we cannot have a situ-
see ‘ vote’ page 10
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pag e 1 0 | Wednesday, JULY 1, 20 20 | bugle n e w s pa p e r s .c om ‘vote’ from page 8 ation in which our citizens must choose between their health and their right to vote.”
Submitting A Vote By Mail Application Registered voters have many options for completing and submitting Vote By Mail Applications: By Mail: The Vote By Mail applications that will be sent through the mail in July are prefilled. Registered voters simply need to sign the application and send it back to the Will County Clerk’s Office, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet IL 60432. Online: Registered voters who wish to speed the process may complete an application online by visiting thewillcountyclerk.com. The completed online application is officially submitted to the Will County Clerk’s Office after the registered voter hits the “submit” button. In Person: Registered voters also may personally deliver their completed and signed applications to the Will County Clerk’s Office at 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet IL 60432. Email: Completed applications may be scanned and sent by email to votebymail@willcountyillinois. com. Call Us: Contact the Will County Clerk’s Office at (815) 740-4615, or
email us at votebymail@willcountyillinois.com with any questions about Vote By Mail. Some Voters May Receive Applications Only • Anyone who registered a secondary mailing address with the Will County Clerk’s Office during the last three elections (2018 General, 2019 Consolidated, 2020 Primary) will receive an envelope containing a Vote By Mail Application only at that secondary mailing address. • These registered voters will also receive a Vote By Mail Application with their Voter Registration Card at their registration address. When Will Residents Receive Vote By Mail Ballots? Vote By Mail Ballots will be sent and received back in the following fashion: • The Will County Clerk’s Office will begin mailing ballots to a voter’s registered address or the requested mailing address starting on Sept. 24, 2020. • The clerk’s office will mail ballots within two business days to those who submit their applications after Sept. 24. • Ballots must be completed and returned to the Will County Clerk’s Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020). Voters are encouraged to closely follow all instructions they receive with your Vote By Mail Ballots.
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