 |
Resources for Health and Equity
|
|
Dear Friends,
Welcome to July. This may be the strangest July I've seen in my lifetime. Still, we have plenty to celebrate.
We have brought the number of COVID-19 cases down in Illinois over the past couple of weeks, which is why we are able to enter Phase 4 of reopening while the numbers rise elsewhere in the country. In fact, Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 31 states are classified as hotspots, meaning they "...have increasing cases, and increasing positivity rates over the most recent 14-day period or a positivity rate of 10% or greater." Illinois is not among them. Let's do our best to keep it that way. As people begin to venture into public spaces in larger groups, I want to ask you all to please continue wearing a face covering any time you cannot put six feet between yourself and those around you.
As some of you may know, Illinois' Inclusive Curriculum Law goes into effect today, July 1, 2020 for the 2020-21 school year. This law ensures the inclusion of LGBTQ contributions in curriculum for all Illinois public schools. Sponsored by State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) and State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), the Inclusive Curriculum Law is an initiative of Equality Illinois, PHIMC's Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, and the Legacy Project, and is supported by more than forty education, healthcare, and civil rights organizations across Illinois. A summary of the law and its early supporters can be found here and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.
Happy Pride!
As we emerge from Pride Weekend and celebrate the recent successes of LGBTQ+ people, I also want to recognize that the first Pride was a protest against police brutality at Stonewall Inn and was led by transgender women of color. Chicago's Pride activities this year returned to these roots, as did Pride protests in many other parts of the country.
Finally, I want to thank each of you for your contributions to justice and equity. We offer the following resources to support your continued work.
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Karen A. Reitan
President & Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Illinois Enters Phase 4: Revitalization
All four regions of Illinois entered Phase 4 of reopening on Friday, June 26, 2020.
|
In Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, the rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital continues to decline. Gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, and child care and schools reopen under guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Face coverings and physical distancing are now the norm.
For details on what this looks like, including what's open, how we move to the next phase, and what could cause us to move back, visit the State of Illinois COVID-19 Response webpage on Phase 4: Revitalization.
|
Chicago Enters Phase IV: Gradually Resume
Alongside the rest of Illinois, Chicago entered Phase IV on Friday, June 26, 2020.
|
|
|
- People in Chicago must continue to wear a face covering and physically distance, allow vulnerable residents to shelter, and get tested if you have symptoms or think you have had COVID-19.
- Industries opening for the first time include indoor seating in bars and restaurants, museums and zoos, performance venues, and summer camps / youth activities.
- Industry-specific guidelines for reopening are available here. This guidance covers how businesses can encourage healthy interactions between workers and customers, how to maintain safe working spaces and conditions, and how to design and monitor workplace operations to create flexibility and maintain safety for employees and customers.
- Data: The City recently launched a data dashboard where individuals can explore the metrics required to move between phases. For the latest COVID data, go to chi.gov/coviddash.
- If you are COVID-19 positive or experiencing symptoms, you can sign up for the Chi COVID Coach app on your mobile device to receive texts directly from Chicago Department of Public Health. The app includes potentially life-saving information like when to seek medical care and where coronavirus testing is available. Health officials say "Chi COVID Coach" is free to download and personal information will only be shared with the department for purposes related to COVID-19.
- Chicago's latest guidance on COVID-19 is available here.
|
|
|
July 7, 9, 14, and 16 | 9am - 10:30am CDT
Free Online Course Partners in Health and University of Global Health Equity are jointly offering a free online course on pandemic preparedness and response. Participants will be trained to analyze and explain challenges of pandemic preparedness and response through a practical, interdisciplinary, and equity-driven approach.
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot launched a
COVID-19 mobile testing pilot program to further the City's mission of reaching residents in communities that are experiencing a disproportionate impact from the COVID-19 virus.
Each mobile testing site has the capacity to test up to 500 persons per day and has the flexibility to travel, allowing testing to be directed toward communities most impacted by the virus. Mobile testing sites will be working in close partnership with community organizations in order to best ensure the needs of local residents are being prioritized.
All residents are encouraged to self-monitor and get tested if they are feeling sick or have had a recent high-risk exposure to COVID-19, including participation in protests that have happened throughout the city and more social interactions amid the Citywide reopening. All tests at the city testing sites are free and all people regardless of citizenship status can be tested.
- Chicago Tenant Protections
The Chicago City Council approved an innovative relief package that will provide substantive protections for tenants and minimize the number of evictions across the city due to the unprecedented COVID-19 health and economic crisis.
The COVID-19 Eviction Protection Ordinance requires landlords to make good faith efforts towards resolutions with tenants before moving ahead with an eviction filing, including offering repayment plans and third-party mediation. The ordinance requires landlords filing evictions, due to nonpayment of rent against tenants who have coronavirus-related financial hardships, to wait for a seven-day "cooling-off" period in addition to the regular five-day notice period. After the "cooling-off" period, landlords must show the court that they have engaged in good faith efforts to reach a reasonable alternative to eviction, including mediation, payment plans, or other options before an eviction can proceed.
|
|
|
Artists Respond to COVID-19
|
|
|
Mental Wellness Resources
|
|
Thank you to Cynthia, Health Educator at Erie Family Health Centers through National Health Corps Chicago, and TODAY.COM for these reminders to care for our mental health:
|
|
|
Racism, COVID-19, and Working for Equity
|
|
|
|
Thank you to everyone on the front lines working in and with our communities.
It takes all of us, as this 9-year-old and her friends in Minnesota remind us. Together, they have raised nearly $100,000 selling bracelets to help Black-owned businesses in their community.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
