URBANA – In an effort to conserve supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, some central Illinois health care providers say they are following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to safely reuse N95 masks and other protective gear. Under normal conditions, protective gear like N95 respirator masks are typically used once and
URBANA – Health care providers in central Illinois say they have run into issues with nursing homes not wanting to accept residents back after they’ve been hospitalized for COVID-19. Dr. Robert Healy, chief quality officer of Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, says early on in the pandemic, some nursing homes had been requiring proof that
UPDATE on Wednesday, March 25, 2020: Carle says it can now provide sewing materials thanks to a generous donation. Email makeamask@carle.com with questions, or to arrange pickup of masks. CHAMPAIGN – Champaign county now has four confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the latest case announced today. Local health officials are saying everyone should consider themselves at
Ill. Virus Cases Top 200, Include 42 Tied To Nursing Home CHICAGO — Illinois officials say an additional 128 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the state, including 20 more individuals living or working at a nursing home in a southwestern suburb of Chicago. The additional results announced Wednesday by the Illinois Department
Hospitals and clinics across east-central Illinois are seeing an uptick in calls from people concerned about the coronavirus. In response, many are developing online tools to help answer questions and determine whether people need to seek medical care. Carle Health System has created new coronavirus screening tools for people experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as
URBANA – Health care providers in east-central Illinois say they’re prepared for the possibility of coronavirus coming to central Illinois. If someone’s sick enough — if they have a really high fever, if they have a really bad cough or chest pain — we’ll instruct them where to come. – Dr. Robert Healy OSF HealthCare’s
OSF Healthcare Touts Emergency Care App URBANA – OSF Healthcare is encouraging people to install an app on their phone that will alert them when people nearby are in need of life-saving CPR. The PulsePoint app launched a couple years ago in Peoria and Champaign counties and recently expanded to Vermilion county. The American Heart Association says the
Champaign Charity For Hungry, Homeless Faces Deficit CHAMPAIGN — A Champaign charity that aids the hungry and homeless is more than $270,000 in the hole as it enters the holiday season. The News-Gazette reported that Restoration Urban Ministries budgets $650,000 for housing, food and clothing. It offers church services, substance-abuse recovery programs, and self-sufficiency education.