Health & Medicine is a proud founding member of Protect Our Care Illinois, which has crafted this letter to the Governor laying out actions he and his administration can take now and in the near future to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the residents of Illinois. We will continue to work with the Governor’s office and our local leaders to ensure that Illinois remains a leader.

In addition to the important issues outlined in this letter, Health & Medicine advocates for:

• Immediate release of persons in pretrial detention for non-violent crimes
• Securing physical spaces where homeless shelters can house people who need to be isolated

Health & Medicine has also joined with the IL-CHEP, an Illinois educators group, calling for the Governor to review our elderly and infirm jail and prison populations with an eye to immediate compassionate release for these individuals, in consideration of the Coronavirus.

We have reached out to our state, county, and city public health officials to offer the expertise and support of our board and staff.

This is a learning experience for all, and Health & Medicine will continue to fight for strong public health and medical care systems, the weaknesses of which have been further exposed by this pandemic.