Lawmakers are urging the Illinois Department of Public Health to release PPE distribution numbers as a nursing home worker strike looms this week.
Several Senate Democrats sent a letter to the IDPH as well as several local health departments on Tuesday to find out the amount of personal protective equipment that has been distributed to the 64 Illinois nursing homes with workers who are set to go on strike on Friday.
In a letter addressed to IDPH Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, 21 Senate Democrats, Including 48th District Senator Andy Menar of Bunker Hill, extended their gratitude to IDPH employees for their work to stop the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic.
The group went on to cite nursing home owners who have contacted members of the Senate with concerns over a lack of readily available PPE supplies, and are requesting to know, how much PPE the facilities have received since the start of the pandemic, how how much they have requested, and how they have chosen to receive the supplies.
The request comes from members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus who have at least one nursing home in the district they represent where management received strike notices last week.
Last week employees who are members of the SEIU Healthcare Representatives Union in 64 nursing homes across the state sent strike notices to management, saying facilities do not have enough PPE, safety protocols, and adequate hazard pay.