Daily COVID-19 Update: National Census Day
In his daily briefing today, Governor Pritzker highlighted the importance of completing the census. He also reported that the state is focusing census outreach efforts to social media platforms, phone banks and virtual assistance programs to target hard to reach populations such as blended families, low income households, immigrant and non English speaking households, and rural areas.

The Census matters to our communities and our State for a variety of reasons, it dictates the level of representation we have in Congress as well as the level of funding we receive from the Federal Government for education, transportation, healthcare and so much more. The recent passage of the U.S. CARES Act that expands unemployment benefits and direct stimulus checks for individuals was heavily based on Illinois's population which is tracked by the census. To learn more about why the census matters to you and our community visit their website  here . 


The Census takes less than 10 minutes to complete and is available in 59 non English languages including American Sign Language. You can text your census related questions to 987-987 or complete the survey  online here or call 844-330-2020 if you’d prefer to complete the survey over the phone. Everyone needs to be counted and it’s so important to remember that there is no question of immigration status on the census in spite of the Trump administration’s efforts to quash inclusion in this census.

COVID-19 Count as of today :


If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the Illinois Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 800-889-3931
Email : dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 312-746-4835
Email : coronavirus@chicago.gov

You can sign up to get updates from the City of Chicago's Department of Public Health here .
Arts for Illinois Relief Fund
Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lighfoot announced the launch of the Art for Illinois website as a means to support the arts community both through grants to assist out of work artists and a new platform for artists from across the State to showcase their talent online. The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund program is targeted at assisting individuals and organizations financially during this time when public facing events have been cancelled. Interested individuals and/or organizations should visit their website to learn more on how to apply .
Illinois Healthcare and Tele-health Services
The Governor shared that he has been working closely with the Illinois Congressional delegation to push the Federal administration to reopen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace applications. Although the administration has not reopened ACA enrollment, individuals who have become unemployed due to COVID-19 do qualify under the “qualifying life event” category for enrollment and should visit the enrollment page here .

In addition to unemployment and insurance for recently laid off individuals, folks in need of medicaid and/or SNAP benefits can apply here and view income standards here . Visit the Department of Human Services' website to use an interactive SNAP calculator here .

Individuals that do not have a primary care provider should contact the Chicago Department of Public Health and find a local healthcare provider, visit their website here . To view a list of local healthcare organizations you can also visit our website under constituent service guide and view the Health category on page 20 of our guide here .

The Illinois Early Intervention (EI) programs for physical therapists and developmental therapists to provide telehealth services to children are experiencing some delays in starting. The Department of Human Services (DHS) is working to allow EI services to be delivered via telehealth, but it is a very comprehensive and time-consuming process for both DHS and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) to implement; plans must meet all necessary federal and state guidelines. The Bureau acknowledges the recent posting of some HIPAA compliance lenience but is still working through the Office of Special Education Programs regarding federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance. DHS and HFS are currently working to:
1. Allow time for HFS to develop teletherapy codes for EI,
2. Nail down our policies and procedures for telehealth
3. Develop a training module
4. Test the technology platform that has been identified
5. Figure out payment structure for the company that owns the technology platform.

The Department will continue to work towards enacting these telehealth services and provide updates as they become available.

All health and medial entities have been instructed to cease elective surgeries. If you have questions about whether a business is violating the Stay at Home Order by not allowing for safe social distancing or that it is not maintaining a safe and sanitary work environment to minimize the risk of spread of COVID-19, please contact the Workplace Rights Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at 844-740-5076 or workplacerights@atg.state.il.us

Chicago Housing Authority (CHA): Rent Deferment
With many renters facing financial hardships due to COVID-19, CHA announced that they will be deferring rent payments for residents that live in CHA owned properties until the stay at home order is lifted May 1. There will be no late rent notices or late fees submitted during this time. This does not include privately owned CHA units but CHA is working with those landlords to encourage that they extend this offer to individuals in their units as well. For more information visit the CHA website here .
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation: Professional licenses & Financial Q&A
Today the Governor shared that emergency license applications for professions interested in joining the fight against COVID-19 have gone up to 1,100. We are continuing to encourage individuals that are interested in coming back to the field to consider applying: Healthcare License Reinstatement:  application here , Physician License Reinstatement:  application here , Out of State Temporary Practice Permit:  application here

The Governor also urged all medical staff at any level, to sign up for the emergency alert system here .

IDFPR has also released guidance for individuals on making debt payments as well as working with financial institutions to make payments.
Mental Health: During Stay at Home Order
During these unprecedented and difficult times we would like to stress the importance of mental health for all. We encourage individuals to find healthy ways to relieve stress and recommend visiting the CDC website for more information on mental health. You and your mental health matter.
Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District

Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640
773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)