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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, COVID-19 is an infectious disease, caused by a
3newly discovered coronavirus, that has resulted in a world-wide
4pandemic, infecting almost three million people across the
5globe and resulting in over 200,000 fatalities; and
 
6    WHEREAS, the COVID-19 virus is not racist, but the
7underlying healthcare and social policies in the United States
8are, leading to COVID-19 mortality rates in the United States
9that are five times greater for people of color than mortality
10rates for whites, including in Cook County, where black
11residents account for 23% of the population and 58% of COVID-19
12fatalities; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Due to years of chronic disinvestment and a lack
14of access to resources that have resulted in shamefully high
15COVID-19-related death rates among black communities in
16Illinois, COVID-19 has exposed healthcare disparities that
17have long existed in low-income, minority communities in
18Illinois; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Under the leadership of President and CEO Tim Egan
20and using only resources obtained by him, the New Roseland
21Community Hospital, located on the far South Side of Chicago in
22one of the poorest communities in Illinois, has mounted a

 

 

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1defense against the vicious attacks of COVID-19; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rather than accept the lack of response for
3minority communities, Tim Egan sought and procured
4cutting-edge serological tests for COVID-19 exposure as well as
5polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screenings for COVID-19
6infections, in order to flatten the curve for South Side
7communities that did not have access to COVID-19 tests or
8resources; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Tim Egan was able to assemble a team of
10physicians, scientists, and laboratory and medical experts to
11build the new Roseland COVID-19 Care Center, led by Dr. Terrill
12Applewhite, Chairman of the New RCH COVID-19 Task Force; he and
13Dr. Applewhite have been assisted by Northwestern University
14Hospital's Dr. Victoria Brander (Associate Professor) and the
15American Medical Laboratory; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The New Roseland Community Hospital has tested
17over 10,000 residents on the South Side of Chicago for
18COVID-19, regardless of their ability to pay, and has also
19tested over 2,000 Chicago police officers, Chicago
20firefighters, and employees of the Cook County Sheriff's
21Office; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Tim Egan created Chicago's first mobile COVID-19

 

 

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1Mobile Testing Unit, which has been dispatched to test nursing
2homes, first responders, and essential businesses in an effort
3to protect the elderly, strengthen community safety, and
4support reopening the economy; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Due to the lack of COVID-19 testing kits and
6personal protective equipment (PPE) available to community
7safety-net hospitals, Tim Egan needed to secure PPE through his
8network of professional contacts, friends, and colleagues and
9obtained so many that he was able to donate over 1,000 masks to
10the Chicago Police Department in recognition of the valuable
11work they do in keeping communities safe; and
 
12    WHEREAS, When the New Roseland Community Hospital
13cafeteria closed, Tim Egan was able to feed patients and staff
14with donated and prepared meals from friends, family, and other
15associates, and he used his contacts as Chairman of the Old
16Town Merchants Association and the Chicago Irish Brotherhood to
17ensure patients and staff were well-fed, despite the temporary
18cafeteria shutdown; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Understanding the difficult working conditions of
20front-line staff due to the COVID-19 exposure, Tim Egan was
21among the first Illinois hospital CEOs to institute "hazard
22pay" for employees, despite being a community safety-net
23hospital serving low-income residents on Medicaid and the

 

 

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1uninsured; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The New Roseland Community Hospital believes that
3all people deserve access to quality healthcare and health
4resources, regardless of their race or ability to pay, and that
5no person in Illinois should die because they are served by
6Medicaid or lack insurance coverage, which is far too often the
7case in Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, This is a teachable moment, revealing the need to
9fully appreciate the healthcare disparities that COVID-19 has
10exposed in minority communities in Illinois and to strive to
11invest, rather than disinvest, in these communities moving
12forward; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we commend New Roseland Community Hospital President and CEO
16Tim Egan and the New Roseland Community Hospital for their
17unwillingness to accept the disproportionate effects of
18COVID-19 on poor, minority communities and for the countless
19lives that have been saved by their efforts; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
21presented to Tim Egan and the New Roseland Community Hospital
22as a symbol of our respect and esteem.