HR0851 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0851 LRB101 21262 MST 71844 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, COVID-19 is an infectious disease, caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, that has resulted in a world-wide pandemic, infecting almost three million people across the globe and resulting in over 200,000 fatalities; and

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 virus is not racist, but the underlying healthcare and social policies in the United States are, leading to COVID-19 mortality rates in the United States that are five times greater for people of color than mortality rates for whites, including in Cook County, where black residents account for 23% of the population and 58% of COVID-19 fatalities; and

WHEREAS, Due to years of chronic disinvestment and a lack of access to resources that have resulted in shamefully high COVID-19-related death rates among black communities in Illinois, COVID-19 has exposed healthcare disparities that have long existed in low-income, minority communities in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of President and CEO Tim Egan and using only resources obtained by him, the New Roseland Community Hospital, located on the far South Side of Chicago in one of the poorest communities in Illinois, has mounted a defense against the vicious attacks of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, Rather than accept the lack of response for minority communities, Tim Egan sought and procured cutting-edge serological tests for COVID-19 exposure as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screenings for COVID-19 infections, in order to flatten the curve for South Side communities that did not have access to COVID-19 tests or resources; and

WHEREAS, Tim Egan was able to assemble a team of physicians, scientists, and laboratory and medical experts to build the new Roseland COVID-19 Care Center, led by Dr. Terrill Applewhite, Chairman of the New RCH COVID-19 Task Force; he and Dr. Applewhite have been assisted by Northwestern University Hospital's Dr. Victoria Brander (Associate Professor) and the American Medical Laboratory; and

WHEREAS, The New Roseland Community Hospital has tested over 10,000 residents on the South Side of Chicago for COVID-19, regardless of their ability to pay, and has also tested over 2,000 Chicago police officers, Chicago firefighters, and employees of the Cook County Sheriff's Office; and

WHEREAS, Tim Egan created Chicago's first mobile COVID-19 Mobile Testing Unit, which has been dispatched to test nursing homes, first responders, and essential businesses in an effort to protect the elderly, strengthen community safety, and support reopening the economy; and

WHEREAS, Due to the lack of COVID-19 testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) available to community safety-net hospitals, Tim Egan needed to secure PPE through his network of professional contacts, friends, and colleagues and obtained so many that he was able to donate over 1,000 masks to the Chicago Police Department in recognition of the valuable work they do in keeping communities safe; and

WHEREAS, When the New Roseland Community Hospital cafeteria closed, Tim Egan was able to feed patients and staff with donated and prepared meals from friends, family, and other associates, and he used his contacts as Chairman of the Old Town Merchants Association and the Chicago Irish Brotherhood to ensure patients and staff were well-fed, despite the temporary cafeteria shutdown; and

WHEREAS, Understanding the difficult working conditions of front-line staff due to the COVID-19 exposure, Tim Egan was among the first Illinois hospital CEOs to institute "hazard pay" for employees, despite being a community safety-net hospital serving low-income residents on Medicaid and the uninsured; and

WHEREAS, The New Roseland Community Hospital believes that all people deserve access to quality healthcare and health resources, regardless of their race or ability to pay, and that no person in Illinois should die because they are served by Medicaid or lack insurance coverage, which is far too often the case in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, This is a teachable moment, revealing the need to fully appreciate the healthcare disparities that COVID-19 has exposed in minority communities in Illinois and to strive to invest, rather than disinvest, in these communities moving forward; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend New Roseland Community Hospital President and CEO Tim Egan and the New Roseland Community Hospital for their unwillingness to accept the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on poor, minority communities and for the countless lives that have been saved by their efforts; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Tim Egan and the New Roseland Community Hospital as a symbol of our respect and esteem.