COVID-19 Update: Hospital Statistics, Census Response Rates, Nursing Home Update for Residents & Workers
Today, Governor Pritzker provided updates on utilization rates across the State in terms of hospitalization, ICU, and ventilator utilization rates. The State has launched a hospitalization utilization page dedicated to updated information on utilization rates by region.

Hospitalization rates of COVID patients:
  • On April 6: 3,680 patients
  • On April 10: 4,020 patients
  • On April 14: 4,283 patients
  • On April 19: 4,599 patients
  • Midnight, April 26: 4,672 patients

ICU beds occupancy rates by COVID patients:
  • On April 6: 43% 2,700 ICU beds
  • On April 10: 40% of 2,900 ICU beds
  • On April 14: 40% 3,000 ICU beds
  • On April 19 40% of 3,100 ICU beds
  • Midnight, April 26: 34% of 3,600 ICU beds

Just a reminder the number of beds has increased as hospitals have worked to expand ICU bed capacity statewide.

Ventilator utilization rates by COVID patients:

Of the 4,672 individuals hospitalized as of midnight last night, 763 are on ventilators meaning 23% of total ventilators are in use by COVID patients across the State. This is the same amount as April 19 one week ago. That’s following a downward trend from 29% usage rate on April 6, then 27% on April 10 than 25% on April 14.

Dr. Ezike also shared that out of 102 counties in the State, 42 counties have had residents pass away due to COVID. For the last several days, the state has been successfully running more than the original goal of 10,000 tests a day. In the last 24 hours there were 12,676 tests processed. The CDC has also released new guidance on symptoms. Early guidance initially listed fever, cough, difficulty breathing and later shortness of breath as key symptoms to watch for. Last week the CDC added six additional symptoms including chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, and loss of taste or smell.
Census Totals for the 14th District
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.
In the 2010 decennial census, 76.5% of the 14th District households mailed back their questionnaire, requiring more costly and difficult in-person follow up from the Census Bureau to count the remaining 23.5% (based on tracts from 2010 in the district's current boundaries). 

Based on the latest census estimates, approx. 26% of the District 14 current population (or 27,390 people) lives in hard-to-count neighborhoods. (These are census tracts where almost a quarter or more households did not mail back their census questionnaires in 2010.) Without higher self-response, more households in these and other neighborhoods in State House District 14 are at risk of being missed in the 2020 census. 


The map below shows the current return rate for District 14 with some areas well below 50% response rates. (2020)
Compare to the 2010 map below where every part of the district was at least at 50%. (2010)
The map below shows the Hard to Count Data (HTC) for 2010. As you can see below there are several pockets in District 14 where little to no information was received in the 2010 census. 

Young children, non-English speakers, and low-income persons are among the list of hard-to-count populations for the 2020 Census . Based on data of the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey (ACS), the Census Bureau calculated the projected response rate in the 2020 Census for every block group in the nation. Block Groups (BGs) are statistical divisions of census tracts, which are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or equivalent entity that are updated by local participants prior to each decennial census. Block groups are generally defined to contain between 600 and 3,000 people. 
COVID-19 Count as of today :

1,980 new cases, 50 deaths 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
Town Hall Date Change: Join Representative Cassidy and Senator Steans Friday, May 1 at 7pm
This Friday, May 1 at 7PM join Senator Heather Steans and me for a virtual town hall as we share updates on the Stay At Home order, discuss the state's budget, share resources to help individuals and provide guidance on navigating unemployment, SNAP and medicaid benefits. To submit questions prior to the town hall  complete this form with your question and we will discuss answers during our Q&A portion of the program. This town hall will be shared on facebook live as well as Blueroom live stream linked here (no log in is required to view it using their platform).
Nursing Home Workers and Residents at Risk: Greg Kelly, President SEIU Healthcare Illinois
Our members at SEIU Healthcare Illinois are on the front lines of fighting against COVID-19. We’re the first people you see when you walk into the emergency room at a hospital, and we’re the people taking care of your loved ones in a nursing home. Our members are providing child care for essential workers across the state, and continuing to do home care for seniors and people with disabilities so that they can remain in their homes, even during a pandemic.

Here is what we want you to know about your loved ones. It is normal to feel powerless in this moment, especially when you have a loved one in a nursing home that you cannot even go visit. But you need to know that you are not powerless, and you are not alone.

First, our members are in this with you , advocating for things that will protect your loved ones and themselves— access to PPE, access to testing, access to paid sick leave, and wages that value our members and the work they do. How does this protect your loved ones? Access to PPE - gloves, masks, etc. - helps keep everyone in a nursing home safe, even if someone comes into the nursing home with COVID-19 unknowingly. Access to testing makes sure that we keep COVID-19 residents in safe environments as to not allow the spread inside facilities. And access to paid sick leave and adequate wages ensures that we have quality staff who are healthy taking care of your loved ones.

Second, do not be afraid to advocate for your loved one . In these strange times, nursing home residents need advocates more than ever. Right now we do not have state Ombudsmen in nursing homes - these are the people that are supposed to be advocating for nursing home residents and providing some oversight/accountability. Facilities are required to provide an avenue for communication with the Ombudsman, but families must feel the power to also advocate for their loved ones.

Third, talk to your loved ones . We all need personal touches - even if virtual - in this time. But our loved ones in our nursing homes need to hear from you. And if the nursing home does not allow for this or have the technology to do so, push them to do so. Guidelines from the federal government suggest that facilities implement the following:

•     Virtual communications (phone, video-communication, etc.)
•     Creating/increasing listserv communication to update families, such as advising to not visit.
•     Assigning staff as primary contact to families for inbound calls, and conduct regular outbound calls to keep families up to date.
•     Offering a phone line with a voice recording updated at set times (e.g., daily) with the facility’s general operating status, such as when it is safe to resume visits.

If these things are not available in the facilities that your loved ones are in, you should demand them.

We must all be in this together. And we must find ways to lift up and protect both workers and residents in nursing homes both in this moment, but also long term. Together we will fight COVID-19, and together we will come out of this on the other side. 
Statewide Tele-health Services: Text line Available
We know that this pandemic is taking a toll on everyone in our community and during a time where we are being asked to stay in quarantine to save lives our mental health is more important than ever. The State has launched a mental health support hotline to offer mental health counseling for those in need of emotional support during this pandemic.

This emotional support text line, Call4Calm, is for Illinois residents experiencing stress and mental health issues related to COVID-19. Individuals who would like to speak with a mental health professional can text “TALK” to 552020, or for Spanish, “HABLAR” to the same number.

Call4Calm is free to use, and individuals will remain anonymous. Once a resident sends a text to the hotline, within 24 hours they will receive a call from a counselor employed by a local community mental health center to provide support.
City of Chicago: Facts About Mental Health
The City of Chicago has published some resources and tips on identifying mental health needs as well as resources.

Few families in the United States are untouched by mental illness. It is estimated that 18% of adults (over 44 million people) and 13-20% of children or adolescents in the United States experience problems with their mental health.
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
  • Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
  • Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
  • Family history of mental health problems

Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a mental health problem:
  • Eating or sleeping too much or too little
  • Pulling away from people and usual activities
  • Having low or no energy
  • Feeling numb or like nothing matters
  • Having unexplained aches and pains
  • Feeling helpless or hopeless
  • Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
  • Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
  • Yelling or fighting with family and friends
  • Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
  • Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
  • Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
  • Thinking of harming yourself or others
  • Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Individuals experiencing some of these feelings or behaviors can also visit Chicago Connections to talk to someone and get assistance.
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)