07.29.10

Durbin: Senate Committee Approves $5 Million in Health and Education Projects for Illinois

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which he is a member, has approved $5,000,000 in federal funding for health and education projects in Illinois. 

             

The 2011 Appropriations bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations includes funding for the following projects:

 

Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, Hoffman Estates: $375,000 in funding to expand the emergency room radiology department and purchase equipment upgrades at the St. Alexius Medical Center.  This expansion is necessary to serve the rapidly growing patient population in the area.

 

Chaddock, Quincy: $200,000 in funding to support special education programs for high-risk youth struggling with trauma issues.  Chaddock provides support to students from across Illinois whose educational needs cannot be met by their home public school district.

 

Chestnut Health Systems, Madison: $350,000 in funding to construct a new mental health facility to accommodate the increase in patients seeking treatment in the Metro East area.  As other mental health facilities have closed in the surrounding counties, the facilities of Chestnut Health Systems have become overburdened, which impedes the ability to provide adequate care.

 

Chicago Public Schools, Chicago: $500,000 in funding to develop a pilot program utilizing mentoring services and case management for middle and high school students to prevent youth violence in Chicago.  The partnership between Chicago Public Schools and the University of Chicago Crime Lab will provide mentoring services and case management to up to 600 middle- and high-school students living in some of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods and will complement CPS’s current violence prevention efforts. 

 

Chicago Public Schools, Chicago: $150,000 in funding to initiate a city-wide effort to reduce childhood obesity among students by increasing access to healthier foods.  CPS will develop a city-wide effort aimed at reducing childhood obesity among students by increasing their access to healthier food.  The funds would be used to implement a pilot project to expand comprehensive nutrition education and physical activity programs for students, provide access to teacher training curricula on health and nutrition, and purchase equipment to help schools serve fresh chopped fruits and vegetables.

 

Community Health, Chicago: $150,000 in funding for renovation and equipment for a new dental clinic in Englewood.  This clinic will provide dental services to uninsured individuals in this underserved, high need community. 

 

Cristo Rey, Chicago: $250,000 in funding to analyze and improve the college performance of recent graduates of Cristo Rey high schools. Cristo Rey Network schools serve economically disadvantaged students in urban environments with low rates of college success.  Funding will be used to expand and advance an ongoing study of Cristo Rey graduates' postsecondary performance and design programs to ensure their students complete high school prepared for college. 

 

Easter Seals, Joliet: $200,000 in funding to support the construction of a Medical Diagnostic, Treatment, and Research Center.  The Center will focus on the needs of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families by providing early diagnosis, training for parents and professionals, occupational and speech therapy, behavioral services, clinical counseling and parent support groups.

 

Egyptian Public and Mental Health Department, Eldorado: $275,000 in funding to re-open the rural health clinic in Eldorado to provide care for underserved residents of Saline, Gallatin, and White Counties.  This clinic will allow for the integration of primary care and mental health care in order to address the needs of patients in a medically underserved area.

 

Garfield Park Preparatory Academy, Chicago: $300,000 in funding to strengthen after-school programming for students and improve job training for parents.  Garfield Park Academy is a charter school run by the Chicago School of Psychology that provides after-school services for children and educational and vocational services for parents.  

 

Glenwood School for Boys and Girls, Glenwood: $200,000 in funding to support the Live Stabilization Project which provides housing support, social skill development, and a high-quality individualized education for at-risk and underserved children. 

 

Illinois State University, Normal: $400,000 in funding to develop and improve a model program for minority recruitment and retention.  Illinois State University (ISU) is a leader in minority student retention and will expand initiatives to improve minority student recruitment and retention.  The model developed by ISU for minority retention will establish best practices for use by other universities.

 

Jackson Park Hospital, Chicago: $250,000 in funding to renovate the hospital’s OB/Gynecology Labor and Delivery Department to improve access for pregnant women.  Current facilities, serving over ten communities, do not have central air conditioning or private restrooms. 

 

Lake County Community Foundation, Waukegan: $250,000 in funding to expand social service programs assisting the quickly growing Latino population access health care, housing, and economic opportunities.

 

Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park: $400,000 in funding to construct the Women’s Center for Life and Health.  The Center will provide increased maternal, labor and delivery, obstetric, and neonatal services. Current facilities are outdated and will not handle future patient growth.

 

Loyola University Nursing Building, Maywood: $400,000 in funding to construct Loyola’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.  The facility will train professionals to meet the growing demand for nurses and nurse educators in Illinois.  The current and anticipated shortfall of trained nurses is a significant health care need in the United States.

 

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb: $200,000 in funding to expand study abroad programs and international education.  Northern Illinois University will improve opportunities for underserved student populations to study abroad and create opportunities for students to study in developing nations. 

 

Richland Community College, Decatur: $150,000 in funding to purchase modern adult and infant human patient simulators to improve the training of nurses and clinicians.  Human simulators allow nurses and clinicians to train treating patients in realistic situations.  Richland Community College is currently using simulation equipment that is not computerized and is out of date.