18 Comments - Grandson of Man - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:11 pm: Thankfully in large bureaucracies and with a novel and unexpected crisis, the state did close offices and have workers doing remote work. This has very likely saved lives and prevented more illness and suffering. Imagine the harm to workers and state residents seeking social services if the state would be forced to reopen as before the crisis. - Soccermom - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:16 pm: I get so angry when some people talk about nursing home-related deaths as though they don’t really count. First of all - people go into nursing homes because we want them to live. That’s the whole point — that they need care to extend their lives. And I get really tired of commenters who include staff in nursing home-related death numbers and then go on to imply that those folks were at death’s door anyway. - Informed Mom - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:18 pm: Heartbreaking. Truly leaves an ache in my heart. We now know these recently published numbers for these state-operated facilities (which are categorized as ICF-DDs), such as Ludeman, but there are literally thousands more people with developmental disabilities being cared for by privately-operated ICF-DDs. Where are those statistics? - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:24 pm: Gonna take these one at a time; ===68 staffers=== … they go home to family, they, even with social distancing, could have led to unknowingly, hurt so many more. These are not isolated. ===155 (out of 334)=== Think on this, how many asymptomatic pushed these numbers higher before the symptoms arrived? These instances are both… both… issues… one of workplace safety and the other of health and safety of the state’s most needy. There’s no “limited” hot spot, not by numbers or by reach. - Crabby - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:37 pm: I’m a non direct care staff at an inpatient IDHS facility. While my facility has no (known) positive cases among staff or clients, the reality of what is happening at Ludeman is extremely sobering. All of our staff (regardless of patient contact) have been instructed to wear a KN95 mask at all times unless alone in a one person office. We have far from 100% compliance at my facility even though we are given a new KN95 mask each day. Instead of heeding the lessons of what is happening at other facilities, some staff are still under the impression that it’s not going to happen here, even though there are many cases in the surrounding community. With this behavior, it is only a matter of time until asymptomatic community spread among staff members introduces COVID-19 to our clients, too. - Morty - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 5:57 pm: And somehow…Rep. Skillicorn can retweet this article and say ‘we can reopen schools right away’… https://twitter.com/allenskillicorn/status/1255980736013758464?s=20 I’m not following his logic - Honeybear - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 6:27 pm: I’m just beyond words for my sisters and brothers in union who are doing their duty every day for the good citizens of our state. I hope the Governor considers some kind of memorial for those state workers who died serving their state. - Just Me 2 - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 7:07 pm: I don’t usually side with AFSCME but I’ll make an exception for this one. - what??? - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 7:30 pm: ==Just Me 2 == Do you want a medal?? 9 innocent people have died and hundreds are ill and you’re thinking immediately about what side of the political spectrum AFCSME is on? Get help. - Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 7:47 pm: Sobering indeed. I wonder what the grand standers with their lawsuits and personal freedom arguments think. Their actions can result in more deaths… they have to realize that. - low level - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 8:21 pm: Just got a call from the center my mom is at. She’s 78, was weak before, and has tested positive. She hasn’t left the senior center she’s been at since Dec last year. All you people who think this a joke, especially YOU, Peter Breen, Allen Skillicorn, and whoever else, can take your lawsuits and all your other garbage and shove it. - Keep Smiling - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 8:43 pm: This is grim. It is reality. == Instead of heeding the lessons of what is happening at other facilities, some staff are still under the impression that it’s not going to happen here, even though there are many cases in the surrounding community. == Crabby, my heart goes out to you, and thank you for all that you do. Keep your mask on. Stay back from your colleagues… far back. You are doing well for you patients, friends and loved ones. And for your colleagues too, they don’t get it. Ignorance is frustrating, and I guess it can be blissful for the ignorant… if there are enough other people looking out for others. Keep doing your best and stay safe. - Cool Papa Bell - Thursday, Apr 30, 20 @ 11:46 pm: All of this breaks my heart. A line from the IDPH page hyperlinked above.. “We have been tracking positive cases of COVID-19 in our facilities, testing residents and patients who display symptoms or have been exposed to those who have symptoms and isolating and treating anyone who is symptomatic or who tests positive for the virus.” I don’t believe that IDPH should only be testing those who display symptoms. The number of test the state is up to each day in my mind allows for and requires mass testing of places like Choate, Fox or Chester. To not do so when we know about asymptomatic spreaders is a dereliction of duty. - Candy Dogood - Friday, May 1, 20 @ 12:31 am: ===Two staffers at the Woodlawn FCRC have died from the virus.=== The question as to whether these two dedicated public servants were infected before March 18th or after March 18th is the question as to whether or not management at DHS is responsible for their deaths due to their failures to close the FCRCs to the public and failures to provide adequate — or an PPE to their staff. I hope their families consider taking a wrongful death action against the state. The FCRCs are different from the 24 hour facilities and if these infections occurred after March 18th, someone needs to be held accountable. - DHS Employee - Friday, May 1, 20 @ 2:54 am: What irks me is that I had no idea until reading this thread that the agency where I work had all these positive cases and deaths.Thank God Governor JB allowed remote working where I work diligently to fulfill my responsibilities to the citizens of Illinois.It might be nice if DHS would email us this information… - Generic Drone - Friday, May 1, 20 @ 8:22 am: @honeybear. You and I know we will have to fight all those state haters about benefits once this is over. - William - Friday, May 1, 20 @ 8:22 am: A worker at a back office FCRC was known to have Covid19 last Monday the 20th. They sent that worker home but the 30 ppl who didn’t have a computer or internet had to stay the rest of that day and return the next day. Until Wednesday the April 22 they were finally all sent home. That is 2 days with a known Covid 19 worker who reported that Monday and was sent home. - Honeybear - Friday, May 1, 20 @ 11:19 am: Yep, Generic Drone you’re right. We’ll always have to fight the privileged for the decent wages and pension we have earned. I’m just hoping that those in the middle realize what we are sacrificing. The main point is that the lie of those who would exalt the essential worker but not make sure that they have decent wages and benefits, is pointed out Starkly by those who are organized/unionized and DEMAND to be valued with decent wages and benefits. It is meaningless to “salute” the essential worker If you continue to devalue them with low wages and few benefits. The best way to honor those folks is to force employers to pay a living wage with benefits. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.