Friday live coronavirus updates: St. Joseph’s Hospital resumes elective surgeries
St. Joseph’s Hospital resumes elective surgeries
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland will begin offering elective surgeries again next week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s revised stay-at-home order allows hospitals to resume non-emergency procedures.
Anyone who had a scheduled procedure disrupted by the stay-at-home order will be contacted by their surgeon’s office to reschedule their procedure.
The hospital will follow will guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH):
- Patients preparing for an elective procedure must have a negative COVID-19 test on file within 72 hours of a scheduled procedure and must self-quarantine after being tested until the day of surgery to limit their risk of exposure. If you have a surgery or procedure scheduled, you will receive instructions from your provider or the hospital on next steps. If applicable, patients will be informed during a pre-surgical call the most convenient place to undergo this testing. St. Joseph’s will only be testing patients scheduled for procedures at an HSHS facility.
- The patient’s one support person that will be allowed to accompany them the day of their surgery will be screened.
- The hospital’s current visitor restrictions will still apply to minimize traffic within the hospital to keep patients and the community safe.
All patients and visitors will be required to wear a mask.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office receives federal money
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office will receive $58,008 in federal money from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The funding is part of the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program. The program helps pay for preventing, preparing for and responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our first responders deserve to have the resources they need to effectively respond to COVID-19,” U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said.
Chicago outlines its own reopening plan
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot outlined the phases of her city’s reopening plan, which mirrored Illinois’ five-phase plan but with some additional rules.
Lightfoot’s plan adds stricter rules for infection rates and ability to conduct testing, The Chicago Tribune reported Friday.
The city would have to see less than 15% of tests coming back positive for two weeks to move to the next phase, while the statewide plan requires a 20% or lower positivity rate for the same time period.
Like Illinois, Chicago is currently in phase two, which Lightfoot characterized as the “stay-at-home” phase, the newspaper reported.
Unemployment reaches Depression-era level
Unemployment rates in the United States reached 14.7% in April as the country lost 20.5 million jobs and the coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the economy, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Those levels were last seen in 1939 during the Depression. Unemployment reached 25% at the peak of the economic collapse.
But even April’s numbers don’t show the full picture, the U.S. Labor Department said. Even though businesses were closed, survey-takers incorrectly labeled some employees as still working. If those workers had been counted, the unemployment rate for last month would have been closer to 20%, the Associated Press reported.
An additional 3.2 million Americans filed for unemployment during the week ending May 2, bringing the total to 33.3 million. In Illinois, more than 74,400 people applied for unemployment in that week for a total of 697,443.
Mercy Hospital to furlough workers
Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy Hospital will furlough thousands of employees as it loses revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.
Mercy has hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Layoffs will affect workers across the four states, the newspaper reported.
Gyms in St. Louis County defy stay-at-home order
The operators of two gyms in St. Louis County defied the local government’s stay-at-home order despite receiving cease-and-desist letters, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
House of Pain gyms in Chesterfield and Maryland Heights, Mo. opened Monday despite the order, KMOV reported. They could face fines or imprisonment if they continue to defy the order, county leaders said.
The order prohibits gyms, restaurants, bars and other nonessential businesses from operation to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Expect a survey from the census bureau
Americans could see an email from the U.S. Census Bureau in the next three months.
The bureau’s Household Pulse Survey program seeks to collect information on how people’s lives have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The emails will come from COVID.survey@census.gov, NPR reported, and the survey will ask about food security, housing, physical and mental health, access to health care and education.
Policymakers will use the information to guide decisions on how to best help citizens whose lives have been disrupted by COVID-19.
Agreement avoids nursing home strike
Illinois nursing home employees who were threatening to strike on Friday have reached a tentative agreement with facility owners on a two-year contract, according to a press release from SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare.
The contract provides “significant wins that will help safeguard both workers and residents through the current pandemic and beyond,” it stated.
The Chicago-based union represents people who work for nursing homes, child-care centers, home-care services and other health-care operations in the Midwest. That includes more than 10,000 employees at more than 100 nursing homes in the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities.
According to the union, the contract provides an increase in baseline wages, allowing all employees to earn more than $15 an hour; greater wage parity across geographic regions; hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic; additional paid sick days for coronavirus-related testing, illness or quarantine; and provisions that ensure employees won’t have to work without adequate personal protective equipment.
“The contract gains are a testament to the courage and commitment of workers who were poised to strike at 64 facilities in order to protect themselves and the residents for which they care during this time of unprecedented vulnerability and risk,” the press release stated.
All Southern Illinois counties have cases
Southern Seven Health Department on Thursday reported the first lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in Pope County, which means that all of Illinois’ 17 southernmost counties have reported coronavirus cases, according to The Southern Illinoisan.
The Pope County patient is a man in his 40s, according to the health department, which also reported two additional cases in Pulaski County and eight new cases in Union County.
Union County has seen a spike in the past week. The health department reported a total of 57 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday. Of those, eight people are considered recovered. Seven days ago, the county had only 15 cases, including five recovered.
One Union County resident previously diagnosed with COVID-19 has died. Several county cases confirmed in the past week are tied to outbreaks at workplaces outside of the Southern Seven region, which includes Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union counties.
Illinois to receive $25 million for testing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working through the Health Resources and Services Administration, has awarded $25 million to 45 health centers in Illinois to expand COVID-19 testing, according to a HHS news release on Thursday.
That’s part of a nearly $583 million allocation to 1,385 HRSA-funded health centers in 50 states, the District of Columbia and eight U.S. territories under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Engagement Act.
“Widespread testing is a critical step in reopening America, and health centers are vital to making testing easily accessible, especially for underserved and minority populations,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “Further, because health centers can help notify contacts of patients who test positive, they will continue playing an important role in cooperating with state and local public health departments.”
Health centers can use the funding for the purchase of personal protective equipment; staff training; public outreach; procurement and administration of tests; laboratory services; notification of exposed contacts; and expansion of walk-up and drive-thru capabilities.
For a list of award recipients, visit https://bphc.hrsa.gov/emergency-response/expanding-capacity-coronavirus-testing-FY2020-awards.
Flyovers to salute essential workers
The Missouri Air National Guard will salute first responders and other essential workers with B-2 stealth bomber flyovers on Friday as part of a national effort by the U.S. Air Force during the coronavirus pandemic, according to KTVI Channel 2.
The Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing will do the flyovers in six communities across Missouri just after 5 p.m. That includes St. Louis, Camdenton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield.
The flyovers will include a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber assigned to the 509th/131st Bomb Wings. The 131st Bomb Wing, based at Whiteman Air Force Base and Jefferson Barracks, is the only National Guard wing to fly it.
The Guard reminds residents to follow strict social-distancing guidelines and refrain from gathering in large groups while viewing the flyovers.
Resources for older people during pandemic
Thursday is National Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day, so the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health and the Illinois Department on Aging is sharing tips and resources for older adults during the coronvirus pandemic.
“Older adults, particularly those who are at a greater risk for social isolation, need our support now more than ever,” said IDHS secretary Grace Hou. “We want to be sure older adults and their loved ones know they are not alone.”
The agencies advise older adults to always wear face masks in public, practice social distancing, wash hands frequently, get six to eight hours of sleep per night, establish or keep a record of a daily routine and exercise and shower and groom regularly.
Those needing assistance can visit the Human Services website at www.dhs.state.il.us and click on HELP IS HERE; visit the Aging website at www.illinois.gov/aging; call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (888-206-1327 for hearing impaired); or email questions to aging.ilsenior@illinois.gov.
Here are more links and resources:
- Distress: Disaster Distress Hotline or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
- Food assistance: Meals on Wheels and Feeding America provide options based on ZIP Code.
- Transportation: Eldercare Locator for local services.
- Medicine: GoodRX or NeedyMeds.
- Medicare: Seek advice from the local State Health Insurance Assistance Program or Medicare.gov.
- Benefits assistance: BenefitsCheckUp.org provide options by state to help with utility bill payments, prescription drug costs and more.
More than 33 million seek unemployment
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the economy was largely shut down due to the coronavirus, according to the Washington Post. Economists warn that more than 40 percent of job losses could be permanent.
- The Small Business Administration has been so overwhelmed by demand for Economic Injury Disaster Loans that it has slashed limits from $2 million to $150,000 and blocked nearly all new applications.
- The 113-year-old high-end department store chain Neiman Marcus Group has filed for bankruptcy, making it the second major retailer to do so.
- A U.S. military member who works at the White House has tested positive for COVID-19, although President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have tested negative.
- Disproportionately black counties account for nearly half of U.S. coronavirus cases, according to a new study, and Hispanics are nearly twice as likely as whites to have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
- Some U.S. residents are beginning to inch out of their homes but most are staying put, even with eased restrictions, according to new cellphone-tracking data.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Here’s a breakdown of the 1,587 COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday. These numbers are updated by 4 p.m. daily at BND.com.
- St. Clair: 667 positives, 55 deaths, 2,847 tests administered, 49 tests pending
- Madison: 408 positives, 30 deaths, 80 hospitalizations, 116 recoveries
- Clinton: 116 positives, eight deaths, 570 tests administered, 20 recoveries
- Randolph: 205 positives, two deaths, 89 recoveries
- Monroe: 79 positives, 11 deaths, 29 recoveries
- Macoupin: 38 positives, one death, 758 tests administered, 14 tests pending, 28 recoveries
- Perry: 32 positives
- Jersey: 16 positives, one death, nine recoveries
- Washington: 14 positives, nine recoveries
- Bond: Eight positives, one death, 140 tests administered, six tests pending, three recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery.
Postponed and canceled events in region
The News-Democrat has compiled a list of events in Illinois and St. Louis that have been canceled due to concerns about coronavirus.
You can find the list at BND.com.
Want to help? Here are some ideas
The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Go to BND. com to learn about the opportunities to volunteer your time or donate to help communities in the metro-east without putting yourself or others at risk.
You can sew face masks, read stories for people with vision loss and deliver meals to seniors.
If you know of a recognized charitable organization looking for help that isn’t listed, please tell us about it; send an email to newsroom@bnd.com or fill out the BND’s Southwest Illinois coronavirus service and assistance guide online at BND.com.
Get the latest news on coronavirus
BND.com will keep you updated through the day with information about the spread of coronavirus through southwestern Illinois.
You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:
- State of Illinois’ coronavirus page: coronavirus.illinois.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
- Federal government’s coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Who to call about mental health
Here are some resources from mental health professionals for anyone struggling during the coronavirus pandemic:
- Touchette Regional Hospital’s new Mental Health Support and Resource Line to talk to trained therapy staff: call 618-482-7158
- Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm to text with a mental health care professional for free: text the word “talk” to 552020.
Centerstone of Illinois, Inc. for virtual mental health services: call 618-462-2331.
Chestnut Health Systems for virtual mental health services: call 618-877-4420.
Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous for virtual meetings: call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com.
Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer response team’s new Support Line for health care professionals: call 618-381-5173.
Contact BND with tips, concerns
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the coronavirus pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
We’d like to hear from health care workers
The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We’re interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
Willing to share your COVID-19 story?
Have you recovered from coronavirus or are you in the process of recovering from COVID-19? We would like to hear from you on how you dealt with the respiratory disease. Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Friday live coronavirus updates: St. Joseph’s Hospital resumes elective surgeries."
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