* Ben Bradley at WGN TV…

Illinois health officials tell WGN Investigates that as of Wednesday morning: 825 of the state’s 1,764 intensive care unit beds are available but only 374 of the 1,467 ventilators in Illinois are currently unused.

State health officials are concerned about a shortage. They have told people who think they may have the virus but who have no other underlying condition or complication that they should simply stay home and recover. […]

Illinois has 1,467 ventilators statewide. There’s also a national emergency supply but experts fear it’s not adequate.

“We have a specific number of ventilators in the stockpile,” Vice President Mike Pence said. “It’s in excess of 10,000 and you just heard the announcement from the Department of Defense that they’ll be adding several more thousand to that.”

* As we discussed yesterday, the Illinois Hospital Association has issued an urgent plea for PPE donations…

As you may be aware, Illinois hospitals and health systems are facing a critical shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as they care for increasing numbers of patients with COVID-19. Yesterday, the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois nearly doubled to 288. We anticipate that the number of cases will increase dramatically in the coming days and weeks, exhausting all the PPE at hospitals, including gowns, gloves, eye shields and, especially, medical masks (specifically, standard surgical masks and N95s, which have NIOSH or FDA approval, including expired N95s).

PPE is critical to protecting our frontline healthcare workforce from infection when testing and treating patients for COVID-19, keeping our dedicated physicians, nurses, technicians and others in our hospitals where they are needed most.

* Crain’s…

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s new guidelines for optimizing a limited supply of face masks have been criticized by some health care providers.

In addition to suggesting that workers use expired face masks or wear the same mask to treat multiple patients, the CDC recommends using a bandana or scarf “as a last resort” in settings where supplies are not available. The guidelines note that “caution should be exercised when considering this option.”

It’s like we’re a Third World country or something.

* The governor talked yesterday about reopening some shuttered hospitals. Illinois has been going through a reduction in hospital beds the past several years, including this one…

To help provide additional medical services during the spread of COVID-19, State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is calling on Gov. Pritzker to reopen Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park. […]

Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park permanently closed last year shortly after the hospital was purchased by Pipeline Health. Weeks after the out-of-state corporation assumed ownership, Pipeline announced plans to close Westlake. Welch was an outspoken advocate in the fight to keep the health care facility open before it ultimately closed in August. Now, Welch is urging Gov. Pritzker to reopen the closed hospital in order to expand access to necessary health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Meanwhile, this is from Paul E. Pedersen, MD, the President of the Illinois State Medical Society…

The Illinois State Medical Society applauds Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order requiring health insurer coverage of telehealth services. We reached out to his office yesterday with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association seeking action to require that health insurers cover virtual patient encounters. We are facing unprecedented disruptions to healthcare delivery and his decisive action will save lives.

We echo Governor Pritzker’s call for physicians to sign up for the State of Illinois Rapid Electronic Notification System (SIREN) to receive urgent COVID-19 alerts. Health professionals can learn how to sign up for this Illinois Department of Public Health program by visiting www.isms.org/COVID-19

* AFT…

The nation’s second largest nurses’ union, the AFT, is calling on employers and the federal government to provide coronavirus tests for all U.S. healthcare workers, alongside access to universal testing for all Americans. And they are seeking emergency protection and supplies to slow the growth of the dangerous pandemic.

Hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak are yet to be tested, despite reports of waves of infections. Nurses lack the basic resources and supplies they need to help patients and do their job safely—including N95 respirators, patient care beds, and childcare for their children. Many have resorted to making their own masks as the CDC recommends wearing “bandanas” and “scarves” to ward off the threat. Healthcare workers are experiencing enormous stress and fear as they scramble to respond.

* More bad news…

With nursing homes now on the front lines to contain the coronavirus pandemic, federal inspection records show Illinois’ facilities have been among the worst in the nation for an important measure of patient protection: following rules to contain infections.

An analysis by the Tribune raises new concerns about how well the homes can protect more than 80,000 residents under their care. While the industry has stressed its beefed-up response to screen for and contain any spread, advocates for residents worry about an industry that has sometimes struggled to properly care for residents — even before the emergence of a pandemic that particularly endangers older, more frail residents.

“This is an extraordinary circumstance,” said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo. “And judging by the track record we’ve seen before, compliance needs to be ensured.”

The Tribune analysis studied federal inspection data on infection control for facilities certified by Medicare and Medicaid, representing the vast majority of nursing homes. The analysis found that 89% of Illinois homes — 642 of 723 — have been cited at least once since 2016 for violating infection control regulations. Only two states, Michigan and California, fared worse, and just barely.

…Adding… Yet another broken promise from DC…

President Trump recently announced that drive-thru testing would be available in parking lots at retail stores. Nearly one week later, drugstore chains like Walgreens are still working to finalize the details of such an endeavor.

* Let’s close on an up note…

At least two of Detroit’s three automakers are studying the feasibility of producing vital medical equipment, such as ventilators, as the nation tries to combat the coronavirus pandemic, echoing the industry’s conversion to building tanks, trucks and planes during World War II.

After announcing they both will temporarily suspend production amid coronavirus concerns, General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they have been in contact with governments in the United States and United Kingdom about evaluating ways to produce the ventilators experts say doctors are expected to need to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients.