CU-CitizenAccess.org (https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/category/public-health/)
It’s not always easy for a local cemetery to stay alive.
Gravesites need to be maintained, bills need to be paid, and revenue relies solely on death.
Every active cemetery deals with difficulties, but for a board of less than 10 retirees, maintaining East Lawn Burial Park in Urbana is a grave concern.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) notified the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) of a “multi-state outbreak” of an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. According to the press release, it is believed that the outbreak to be linked to packaged garden salad, and there are six cases of the illness in Champaign County as of July 1.
Fresh Express issued a recall for the products on June 27, 2020. The recalled food products were made in a production facility in Streamwood, Illinois. This factory was also linked to over 500 cases in 2018, and infections were traced to McDonald’s restaurants in several states.
It began in mid-March when the new coronavirus became part of ordinary American life with shortages of household products like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and paper towels. Now, as May has turned to June, scarcity – and the fear of it — is all about the meat. As of June 6, there have been at least 20,400 reported positive cases tied to meatpacking facilities in at least 216 plants in 33 states, and at least 74 reported worker deaths, according to a Midwest Center analysis.
Twenty-six outbreaks have been recorded across several facilities and businesses in the county as of June 8, according to Julie Pryde, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District administrator.
The health district has recorded 30 total outbreaks, including those at the Rantoul Foods meat processing plant, an outdoor equipment manufacturing plant and two nursing homes, University Rehabilitation Center and Meadowbrook Health Center.
Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods – which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5 – on April 27th after receiving reports of Covid-19 cases among company employees.
“All of this was completely preventable,” Pryde said in an interview Tuesday, noting had the plant taken action earlier.
Four Illinois nursing homes already identified by federal medical authorities as having a history of serious quality issues have suffered outbreaks of the coronavirus in the past two months. Twenty-four nursing homes are listed under the federal Special Focus Facility program, which is overseen by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Four Illinois nursing homes are in the Special Focus program and another 20 are candidates for the program, as of February 26. One of the four nursing homes with coronavirus outbreaks that is in the Special Focus Facility program, while the other three are on the candidate list.
The four Illinois nursing homes associated with the program that have reported outbreaks are:
Aperion Care Bradley, which is in the special program located in Kankakee County, has two cases of outbreak reported. Bria of Belleville, a candidate for the SFF program located in St. Clair County, has 11 cases of outbreak reported and one death. Elevate Care Waukegan, a candidate for the SFF program located in Lake County, has four cases of outbreak reported and one death. Generations at Rock Island, a candidate for the SFF program located in Rock Island County, has 10 cases or outbreak reported and two deaths.
Three of the homes did not return calls for comment but a statement from Generations at Rock Island stated that the facility has implemented all best practices in infectious disease protocol in the nursing home, including screening all visitors and staff before entering the building, limiting building access to essential healthcare workers, screening residents twice per shift and modifying communal dining to comply with recommendations from health departments.
They also said they had adequately stocked personal protective equipment and raised the staff’s hourly wages by four dollars.
“We are working around the clock to protect residents and staff from this threat,” according to the statement.
From May 1 to Oct. 31, 2018 public health officials temporarily closed or failed 16 restaurants, eateries and cafes, according to a review of inspection records from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
Inspectors failed eight restaurants between Jan. 1, 2018 and April 30, 2018.
As debate continues in Congress over the future of healthcare, just what has the Affordable Care Act meant for people in Champaign County?
From campus town bars to Italian restaurants, 20 restaurants were closed or failed for serious health code violations during the last part of 2016.
Sewage wastewater backup, cockroach infestation and houseflies “too numerous to count” were among the violations leading to closures and failures of eateries across the county since April. In total, 20 establishments were cited for serious or critical health code violations between April 1 and June 30, according to a review of inspection records.
Health officials shut down the food facility at The Champaign Country Club this month after inspectors found more than two dozen violations.
The club received an adjusted score of negative 6 during the routine inspection on May 11 and was immediately closed, according to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District records.
In its previous inspection on Dec. 9, the club was allowed to stay open with a score of 1, though it failed after an inspector cited it for seven critical violations and 24 non-critical violations.
