UI Health opens community vaccination site, leads Chicago in providing shots for phase 1B
and
UIC students answer volunteer call to vaccinate Chicago community
By Bonnie Jean Adams
The State of Illinois and City of Chicago have set a goal to vaccinate all adult Chicagoans for coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2021 at no cost to individuals. The City hopes to make coronavirus vaccines available to all Chicagoans by the end of May, according to Allison Arwady, MD, MPH, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Within the first full week of vaccinations, Illinois had administered the most COVID-19 vaccine doses compared to any other state nationwide. Uncertainty over future supply, however, makes distribution difficult to plan.
According to Arwady, “There may be a wait before this new normal really feels normal, but with this beginning of vaccination in Chicago, we are no longer fully waiting as a city. We are on this path, we are moving forward.”
The Federal government during the Trump administration aimed to hold back doses equal to the amount it shipped out to ensure having enough of a supply for the necessary two-dose regimen that studies show is required for the vaccine to be 90% effective. A new “super strain” of the COVID-19 virus, which studies show is 50% more contagious than the original strain, has been discovered in the United States, however, and public health experts have urged State and Federal authorities to step up the pace of vaccination.
President Joe Biden supports releasing available vaccine immediately, with the goal of administering 100 million shots in the first 100 days of his administration, which began on Jan. 20. This strategy would allow more people access to a first dose, although concern about second dose availability remains due to the slow rate of vaccine production.
The Trump administration had promised that the vaccine would be widely available by late February. Rochelle Walensky, Biden administration director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicated that the Trump administration had overpromised, but that the Federal government is determined to meet the Biden goal.
“We don’t have enough vaccine,” Arwady said. “We can handle as much vaccine as gets here.”
State health officials are following guidance provided by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and approved by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices regarding who should get the vaccine and when. Those CDC practices prioritize the following groups during the vaccine rollout’s initial phases: Phase 1A, high-risk health workers and first responders, and Phase 1B, people of all ages with significant health risk and older adults living in congregate or overcrowded settings
According to Governor JB Pritzker, officials directed the first vaccines toward hospitals and health care workers in the 50 Illinois counties having the highest death rates per capita. Locally, Arwady said, the CDPH’s first phase of vaccine distribution, Phase 1A, started in December and runs through this month; it focuses on health care workers and long-term care facility residents.
Equity strategy
Mayor Lori Lightfoot explained that equity remains the City’s COVID-19 strategy, as the virus disproportionately impacts people of color.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: listen to the experts,” Lightfoot said. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and will save Black and Brown lives. I know many residents—particularly those 65 and older—are anxiously awaiting their turn to be vaccinated. I can assure you, your time is coming.”
Loretto Hospital in Austin, a primarily African American neighborhood, administered the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine in Chicago, followed by the first doses of the Moderna vaccine at Esperanza Health Center in Brighton Park, a primarily Latino neighborhood with a test positivity rate more than double the citywide average.
Wentworth Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Englewood was the first long-term care facility in Chicago to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as the City continues to reassure minority communities that the vaccine is safe.
The City of Chicago opened its first mass vaccination clinic at Malcolm X College, one of several started in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago. Malcolm X is located in this community at 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. As of this writing, vaccine points of dispensing remain closed to the public as they serve health care workers in the 1A and 1B vaccination phases. Those who work at facilities such as hospitals, which are administering vaccinations themselves, are not eligible for services at these dispensing sites, which instead serve smaller health care facilities such as dental practices, outpatient medical practices, school nurses, morticians’ offices, and any other kind of health care worker in Chicago. To be eligible, the practice must be registered with the city. Affiliated healthcare workers must make an appointment.
The other sites in this community are the Arturo Velasquez Institute at 2800 S. Western Ave. and Kennedy-King College at 6301 S. Halsted St. as well as Daley, Olive-Harvey, and Truman Colleges.
Everyone in the U.S. who receives his or her first dose of the vaccination will receive a COVID-19 vaccination record card from the CDC with a record of the date, location, lot number (the number of the individual vial of the vaccine that the person received), and the vaccinator’s signature.
Two doses needed
Both available vaccines require two doses for best effectiveness, and Chicago’s policy states everyone must receive her or his second dose at the same location as the first. Clinicians will monitor everyone vaccinated at a City site for 15 minutes after they’re vaccinated, or 30 minutes if the person has a history of allergies or any other concerns. Those who have been vaccinated can sign up to receive follow-up communications from the CDC via email or text message as a way to report side effects.
Chicagoans age 65 and older are receiving the vaccine based on availability. The City encourages health care professionals to prioritize older Chicagoans with health concerns who are at increased risk of severe complications if contracting COVID-19, including those with high-risk medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, obesity, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases.
As of Jan. 18, if vaccination providers have vaccine available and do not have tier 1A healthcare workers scheduled for vaccination, they can move to offering the vaccine to highest risk individuals who are older than 65.
The University of Chicago (U-Chicago Medicine), University of Illinois Hospital (UI Health), Alivio Medical Center received vaccines to vaccinate their healthcare workers.
“We feel the vaccine appears to be safe and highly efficacious,” said Susan Bleasdale, MD, interim chief quality officer and medical director of infection protection and control at UI Health.
“We are extremely thankful for the heroic work our staff has done during the pandemic, and the vaccines are giving us the hope that we have been waiting for,” said Esther Corpuz, CEO of Alivio.
Public health authorities encourage as many people as possible to get the vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for people age 16 and older. The Moderna vaccine is appropriate for people 18 and older. Limited data exists about COVID-19 vaccine safety for pregnant women. CDC officials plan to provide further guidance on pregnant women once they review phase three trial data fully. In the beginning, children are ineligible to obtain vaccines because researchers have not tested them on children yet; children will receive vaccines once the country moves to Phase 3 of vaccine distribution.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses for best results because only after the second shot can the vaccines be more than 90% effective. Pfizer vaccine doses must be received 21 days apart while the two Moderna doses require a 28-day separation. Both doses must be from the same vaccine type.
Experts advise people to avoid any other vaccines within 14 days of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. If a person has had COVID-19 in the past three months, he or she would not need the vaccine immediately, but this fact does not mean the person should not be vaccinated eventually.
Safety precautions still necessary
Even for those who have received the vaccine, it is important to continue to wear a mask, keep physical distancing, avoid indoor gatherings, and wash hands. Studies do not show yet whether the vaccine prevents someone from carrying COVID-19 and spreading it to others. It therefore is possible someone could get the vaccine but still be an asymptomatic carrier, showing no symptoms, but being contagious.
In the next few months, Chicagoans should be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine not only at healthcare facilities and doctors’ offices but at retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers. Beware of scams such as calls, texts, or emails that promise early access to the COVID-19 vaccine. No wait list exists, and it is not possible to sign up in advance for the vaccine.
Access to the Phase 1B group opened on Jan. 25; for more information go to www.chicago.gov. Arwady has stated there is no requirement to provide identification, no requirement for insurance, and no cost, to anybody to get this vaccine in Chicago, no matter where they obtain it.
The State is setting up vaccination sites across the Illinois, including in retail pharmacy chains; some sites run by Illinois National Guard mobile teams; State-run mass vaccination locations; hospitals and urgent care locations; and ultimately doctors’ offices and large employers able to host their own workplace clinics.
Tentative phase timeline
All those vaccination sites will be appointment only, Pritzker said, asking residents not to line up at the store or call their local pharmacies. Phase 1B centers on residents age 65 years and older, first responders, education workers such as teachers and support staff, childcare workers, grocery store employees, postal service workers, and others in similar jobs.
The City plans to move into Phase 1C by March 29 and into Phase 2 approximately May 31. Phase 1C would include all essential workers not covered in earlier phases and people between ages 16 and 64 who have underlying medical conditions. In Phase 2, anyone 16 or older will be eligible for vaccination.
In another local initiative, with COVID-19 prevention difficult in jails and prisons, the Westside Justice Center, 601 S. California Ave., has begun a program to inform and educate Cook County Jail inmates about the vaccine.
Resources
Alivio Medical Center, www.aliviomedicalcenter.org, (773) 254-1400.
Appointments: How healthcare workers can make COVID-19 vaccine appointments: www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid19-vaccine/home/healthcare-providers.html. Pre-registration and an appointment, coordinated by your facility, is required. Walk-ups are not available.
CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations.
CDC recommendation for phased allocation of COVID-19 vaccines: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2020-12/slides-12-20/02-COVID-Dooling.pdf.
Chicago Coronavirus Response Center: www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home.html.
City of Chicago vaccine planning: www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid19-vaccine/home/vaccine-planning-in-chicago.html.
City of Chicago updates on how and when to get vaccinated: Chi Covid Coach, or covidcoach.chicago.gov.
Cook County Public Health COVID-19 vaccine information: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/communicable-diseases/covid-19/covid-vaccine/.
State of Illinois COVID-19 Vaccination Plan: www.dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19/IL%20COVID-19%20Vaccination%20Plan%20V4.20210110.pdf.
UChicago Medicine: uchicagomedicine.org, (773) 702-1000.
UI Health: hospital.uillinois.edu, (866) 600-2273.
Westside Justice Center, westsidejustice.org, (773) 940-2213.
Volunteer to participate in COVID-19 vaccine and prevention research: https://covidvaccinestudies.uchicago.edu/.
By Madeline Makoul
As work on the Jane Byrne Interchange moves forward, limited lanes and ongoing construction continue to affect motorists. The longstanding project started in 2013, and government officials expect it to wrap up in 2022.
Led by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the project has kept the interchange, where the Kennedy, Dan Ryan, and Eisenhower Expressways meet, open to motorists as construction continues.
According to Maria Castaneda, IDOT communications manager, the project is on target to finish at the end of 2022, and will help people besides drivers.
“The overall reconstruction project at the Jane Byrne Interchange [JBI] will improve safety and traffic flow for the more than 400,000 motorists who use it each day while also enhancing mobility for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users in the surrounding neighborhoods,” Castaneda said.
Experts and motorists alike remain skeptical, however, because of current interchange conditions. Joseph Schwieterman, DePaul University professor in the public policy department of the School of Public Service and Sustainable Urban Development Program, said that not only does the interchange see continued backup but the project itself has taken far too long to complete.
“I think as much as I want to be sympathetic to the project’s complexity, it is simply dragging out too long,” Schwieterman said. “We have to find ways to modernize infrastructure in less painful ways than what we are witnessing here.”
Congestion remains
While the interchange remaining open allows more than 400,000 vehicles to pass through daily, the pre-construction congestion remains.
Schwieterman said the Eisenhower Expressway has a reputation of being “one of the most congested highways in the country,” and while the interchange project should address this issue, he noted the project’s length and traffic backups “add to that reputation.”
Schwieterman described traveling on the Dan Ryan as “stimuli overload,” with visual distractions as well as frequent on and off ramps that make traveling confusing, remarking that it is no wonder motorists get confused.
“The configuration of the new interchange is very complicated with flying crossovers and narrow cloverleafs,” Schwieterman said. “If you were to design a city from scratch, you certainly wouldn’t build it this way. You would build it further from downtown where you have a little more room to work with.”
Castaneda said current traffic flow results from ongoing construction because the interchange remains open while workers make improvements, yet that fact does not mean it will be congested always.
That comes as good news to those concerned that traffic moving from the Eisenhower to the northbound Kennedy and the southbound Dan Ryan remains backed up and dangerous.
“At this time, any traffic patterns in the JBI construction zone would be anecdotal,” Castaneda said. “As a result of ongoing construction within the interchange and on its approaches, vehicle detection” (in which highway managers count cars and observe traffic patterns and reconfigure thoroughfares accordingly) “has been temporarily eliminated. Anecdotally, traffic is flowing well relative to previous lane configurations. The overall volume of traffic in the interchange remains very high compared to other locations.”
P.S. Sriraj, director of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and director of the Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative, said traffic on the interchange has continued to increase over the years, especially truck traffic, creating capacity constraints as demand of the JBI only continues to rise. However, Sriraj noted other constraints affect the interchange’s remodeling.
IDOT “is trying to use the same footprint and maximize as much as they can, given the area they are working with, and that’s a major issue,” Sriraj said. “Even as they try to fix and adjust lanes, there may need to be other demand strategies and mechanisms to soften the load on the interchange. I’m not saying this won’t be effective, but over a period of time it’s going to get caught up.”
Sriraj, like Castaneda, does not believe the current state of traffic necessarily signals how interchange backups will be once construction concludes. Not only is construction continuing as drivers use the interchange, causing limited working hours and progress, but Sriraj noted a possible increase in motorists on the roads as public transportation ridership continues downward in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Additionally, Castaneda said any limited lanes contributing to the backup are just a part of the ongoing construction.
“In late December, the ramp from the inbound Dan Ryan to the Eisenhower was opened back to two lanes,” she explained. “The lanes were previously reduced to accommodate construction of new pavement and other improvements. However, lanes have been reduced and/or shifted, and impacts are still anticipated along the Kennedy and Dan Ryan between Roosevelt Road and Madison Street to accommodate construction of the mainline lanes.”
While ongoing construction certainly affects current travel, Sriraj described dramatically worse consequences from closing the interchange fully in light of the JBI’s importance for traveling motorists as well as trucks.
“Can they do something better?” Sriraj asked. “Most definitely. But given what they have been constrained with—keeping the footprint the same and keeping everything open—this is probably the best that could be done. The alternative is unthinkable. Closing the entire interchange for maybe two or three years. Putting a brand new interchange in its place complete with flyovers and other mechanisms to divert traffic in a seamless manner and bypass congestion heading to the Loop. Yes, there’s a whole bunch of things that can be designed, but they cost a lot more” in both dollars and disruptions.
Future plans
With JBI construction set to continue for another year, many improvements are yet to come, and planners still feel such upgrades will eliminate lane changing problems and backups.
“Upcoming work includes the construction of a new inbound collector-distributor road,” Castaneda said. “The new design will improve safety and efficiency and reduce conflict points by relocating the left-hand entrance ramps at Jackson and Adams streets, along with separating the exit ramps to Washington Boulevard and Lake, Madison, and Randolph Streets from mainline traffic.”
Additionally, IDOT has reconstructed the bridges at both Monroe and Van Buren Streets. The Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard bridges over the Kennedy remain closed for reconstruction that will begin in 2022 to “increase capacity on the mainline expressway lanes and ramps,” Castaneda said.
As construction heads into its final leg, Schwieterman is looking to the future, with the need for this interchange to flow more seamlessly of top priority.
“It will be a tragedy if the project is completed and we find ourselves with another Hillside Strangler-type bottleneck,” Schwieterman reflected. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to get it right, and let’s hope when the project is complete and motorists gain familiarity that the backups will slow down.”
For more updates on the JBI construction project, visit www.janebyrneinterchange.org/.
For more on IDOT, log on to idot.illinois.gov. To contact Schwieterman, email [email protected]. To contact Sriraj, email [email protected].
By Monica M. Walk
Community activism is succeeding so far in preventing Chicago’s oldest chartered hospital from quietly closing its doors during the ongoing pandemic.
Several December protest vigils brought health care workers and local residents together in their cars and on foot near Mercy Hospital & Medical Center’s 2525 S. Michigan Ave. location, creating awareness of the South Side’s healthcare plight far beyond the neighborhood.
Coupled with a calling campaign, the effort prompted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other elected officials and lawmakers to acknowledge the hospital’s importance and the need to maintain it to serve its mainly Black and Latino patients.
Advocates for keeping the hospital open are pushing for a new owner, although current Mercy Hospital owner Trinity Health continues to focus on closing the hospital and pivoting to an outpatient services model.
However, on Jan. 26, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board (IHFSRW) voted to deny approval for Trinity’s outpatient facility plan.
“I thank the community, community groups, and the nurses, physicians, and staff at Mercy; they are the reason this place is open,” said State Representative Lamont J. Robinson Jr. (D-5th), a leading advocate for keeping the hospital open. Robinson has criticized the closure’s timing and asked Governor Pritzker to support a moratorium on any hospital closing in Illinois until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis passes.
“The credit is to the community, or the hospital would close,” Robinson said. “It’s important we understand the community led the effort, and thank them. They asked the governor to get involved. I believe the governor heard the cries of the community and that is why he stepped in and engaged. He heard their cries in the midst of the pandemic; COVID is not over and has lasting effects. We need to continue to have quality healthcare, especially in Black and Brown communities that have had the highest numbers of COVID cases and deaths.”
“Gov. Pritzker believes healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” said Jordan Abudayyeh, Prizker’s press secretary. “As the governor has said throughout this pandemic, we must work to address the inequities in our healthcare system that have left Black and Brown communities especially susceptible to the worst outcomes of this virus.”
The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center are considered leaders in the community organizing efforts to preserve Mercy Hospital. Both are partners in the Chicago Health Equity Coalition (CHEC), which brings together numerous groups to support keeping Mercy Hospital open.
Robinson was among State representatives and Chicago City Council members participating in a CHEC-sponsored Save Mercy virtual town hall via Zoom on Jan. 19. Robinson hopes Mercy Hospital will remain open under new ownership.
Possible buyer
“A buyer is engaged with—it is a hospital in our community working with the governor’s office and mine,” Robinson said. “A consulting group is going through the books and the physical plant of the hospital to see the investment needed to keep open and be successful. Trinity is still on the same road to closure. It’s important to push hard and fast to keep the hospital open but do these things to be sure it’s successful.”
According to Carol Schneider, president of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, “The decision to discontinue services at Mercy Hospital was not an easy one. But patients on the South Side have unmet needs within the current system. The transformation from an inpatient model to one with greater access to outpatient services will better address the disparate outcomes in health from which our community suffers today.”
A Mercy/Trinity spokesperson participated in a public hearing in mid-January about opening the new Mercy Care Center. The IHFSRW turned down the care center idea on Jan. 26. Mercy may decide to go before the same board separately to revisit its Certificate of Need application to close the hospital.
On Dec. 15, 2020, the review board had denied unanimously the application to close.
The governor has communicated to Trinity “the State’s position that the company urgently rethink the decision to close Mercy Hospital,” Abudayyeh said. “The State stands ready and willing to work with them to avoid closure.”
At the IHFSRW meeting the week of Jan. 18, “the administration publicly voiced our objections to the planned closure,” she added. “The governor also made clear that based on the State’s analysis of Trinity’s most recent cost reports, the State’s $150 million rate increase is offsetting a significant share of Mercy’s reported losses—giving more reason and flexibility to delay this closure and work with Illinois lawmakers to pass a hospital transformation bill.”
“Trinity Health plans to appeal the decision and close Mercy Hospital with or without the board’s approval,” KOCO said in a statement. “We must continue to encourage Gov. Pritzker and Illinois elected officials to intervene to save Mercy Hospital and the lives of Black and Brown community members served by the hospital.
“Call Gov. Pritzker at (312) 814-2121 and urge him to use his leadership to keep Mercy Hospital open and save lives in the midst of this pandemic and beyond, declare a moratorium on hospital closures, and facilitate a sale between Trinity Health and a buyer committed to keeping Mercy open,” the KOCO statement continued. “This is not transformation! This is a disinvestment and an elimination of vital health services!”
“The administration has also directed Trinity Health to review all viable offers to purchase the hospital so it can continue to serve the community by operating as a hospital,” Abudayyeh said.
“I commend the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board for decisively voting against allowing Mercy Hospital & Medical Center to proceed with its plans to close,” said Congressman Bobby Rush (D-1st). “While it is rare for the review board to deny a hospital’s request to close, to do otherwise—particularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—would have been disastrous. We must now work on a solution that ensures long-term access to health care for patients and the financial stability of hospitals on the South Side.”
Gazette Chicago previously reported Mercy’s planned closing was due in part to the Illinois Legislature’s electing not to fund the South Side Coalition’s South Side Transformation Plan as part of the Hospital Transformation Program. Robinson noted this earlier plan for Mercy to merge with three other hospitals lacked sufficient detail to ensure people in the Bronzeville neighborhood where Mercy is located would continue to have a full-service hospital and said the State had invited Trinity to return with a detailed plan. Trinity did not return with a specific commitment and instead canceled the merger and announced the hospital’s closing.
BOH opposition
The City of Chicago Board of Health (BOH) issued a statement in August 2020 voicing “concern about the proposed closure of Mercy Hospital in causing a health care desert impacting persons on the South and Southwest Side of Chicago.” The BOH statement called on the governor, mayor, and Illinois Health Facilities Board to halt closure until a long-term action plan for community health was determined and in place. Meeting minutes from the Oct. 21, 2020, BOH meeting note the City of Chicago has no direct role in the Mercy situation, “as the State of Illinois is the lead governmental body with oversight of Mercy Hospital.”
Officials consider Mercy a safety net hospital, which provides healthcare services to people regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Mercy has one of Chicago’s busiest emergency rooms, and deleting emergency room services via hospital closure would mean serious health repercussions for area residents.
“Safety nets are under attack,” Robinson said. “They need Federal assistance, Federal partners,” adding he anticipated ongoing work in this area. “The State is moving in the right direction, with this political shift, to provide healthcare not only on the South Side of Chicago but across the entire State.”
“The fight is not over,” said KOCO in its statement.
In October, the Pritzker administration released more than $140 million in federal dollars for safety net hospitals, long-term care facilities, and Federally Qualifies Health Centers.
Also in 2000, the Pritzker administration renewed the Hospital Assessment Program, bringing an additional $250 million in Federal dollars to the state, with $4.4 million to Mercy.
Trinity purchased Mercy Hospital, with 402 licensed beds, in 2012. Founded in 1852, the hospital traces its roots to a rooming house near Rush Street and the Chicago River, converted to healthcare by the Sisters of Mercy. It is Chicago’s oldest hospital and its first chartered teaching hospital.
Several early moves included a then-country location that allowed the hospital to survive the Chicago Fire of 1871 and provide a haven for burn victims. A building plan in the 1950s called for relocation to the suburbs with the Stritch School of Medicine, but Mercy chose to stay close to city residents in need of care. The City of Chicago supported building the current location on South Michigan Avenue in 1968, making Mercy an accessible South Side neighborhood hospital.
Mercy has affiliations with some of the major academic programs and centers in Chicago.
For the Lugenia Burns Hope organization, log on to www.facebook.com/LBHopeCenter. For KOCO, log on to www.facebook.com/KOCOConnect.
Mercy Hospital & Medical Center can be reached at (312) 567-2000 or www.mercy-chicago.org. For the governor’s office, call (312) 814-2121. To contact Robinson, call (773) 924-4614. For Congressman Rush’s office, call (773) 779-2400.
By William S. Bike
Do we really know our own community? Thanks to City-Data.com, we can know a lot more than we may currently.
City-Data collects information from a variety of private sources, creating detailed, informative profiles for every neighborhood in every city in the United States.
The ten neighborhoods comprising this area fall within seven ZIP codes. On a regular basis, Gazette Chicago will provide demographic information collected by City-Data to shed light on the community that is our home.
This month, our demographics article looks at statistics on population, unemployment, race, age, salaries/wages, housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (“food stamps”), poverty, and earned income credits people claim on their Federal tax returns. The earned income credit claim is an indicator of having incomes low enough to claim this important Federal tax break.
60605 (South Loop)
Population: 26,572. Men: 47%. Women: 53%. Unemployment: 3.4%. Race: White 59.3%, Black 18.3%, Asian 13.2%, Hispanic/Latino 6.5%, Two or more races 0.3%, Other 0.2%, American Indian 0.1%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.03%, Unknown 1.8%. Median resident age: 33.9 years. Average salary/wage: $103,524.
Earned income credit (reported on 4.4% of returns): $960. Number of houses and condos: 14,889. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 6,277. Percentage of renters: 47%. Population density: 21,337 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 819. Residents below the poverty level: 9.2%.
60607 (Near West Side, University Village, West Loop)
Population: 29,352. Men: 50.7%. Women: 49.3%. Unemployment: 4.8%. Race: White 55.9%, Asian 17.8%, Black 16.1%, Hispanic/Latino 7.4%, Two or more races, 2.2%, Other .2% American Indian .1%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander .1%, Unknown 0.2%. Median resident age: 30.3 years. Average salary/wage: $91,815.
Earned income credit (reported on 8.2% of returns): $1,731. Number of houses and condos: 14,267. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 6,979. Percentage of renters: 55%. Population density: 12,651 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 816. Residents below the poverty level: 20.1%.
60608 (Bridgeport, Heart of Chicago, Near West Side, Pilsen, Tri-Taylor, University Village, West Haven)
Population: 80,035. Men: 55.1%. Women: 44.9%. Unemployment: 8.5%. Race: Hispanic or Latino 50.1%, Black 15.8%, White 14.7%, Asian 7.9%, Two or more races 0.7%, American Indian .1%, Other .1%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander .1%. Unknown 10.5%. Median resident age: 32.5 years. Average salary/wage: $34,641.
Earned income credit (reported on 28.6% of returns): $2,423. Number of houses and condos: 28,974. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 16,342. Percentage of renters: 64%. Population density: 12,602 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 5,277. Residents below the poverty level: 22.5%.
60609 (Armour Square, Bridgeport)
Population: 61,889. Men: 49.6%. Women: 50.4%.Unemployment: 14.0%. Race: Hispanic/Latino 43.4%, Black 23.1%, White 11.5%, Asian 2.9%, Two or more races 0.6%, American Indian 0.1%, Other 0.1%, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 0.2%, Unknown 18.1%. Median resident age: 32.6%. Average salary/wage: $31,269.
Earned income credit (reported on 37.7% of returns): $2,212. Number of houses and condos: 24,749. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 12,341. Percentage of renters: 61%. Population density: 7,978 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 6,242. Residents below the poverty level: 28.3%.
60612 (Near West Side, Tri-Taylor, University Village)
Population: 35,850. Men: 49.3%. Women: 50.7% Unemployment: 11.1%. Race: Black 53.7%, White 17.1%, Hispanic/Latino 11.4%, Asian 4.3%, Two or more races 1.3%, American Indian .1%, Other .1%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.03%. Median resident age: 31.5 years, Unknown 12%. Average salary/wage: $40,487.
Earned income credit (reported on 38.2% of returns): $2,821. Number of houses and condos: 15,480. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 9,766. Percentage of renters: 73%. Population density: 9,567 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 4,006. Residents below the poverty level: 31.0%.
60616 (Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chinatown, Pilsen, South Loop)
Population: 54,144. Men: 47.5%. Women: 52.5%. Unemployment: 6.2%. Race: Asian 39.7%, Black 25.7%, White 24.0%, Hispanic/Latino 8.7%, Two or more races 1.6%, American Indian .1%, Other .1%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.01%. Median resident age: 36.8 years. Average salary/wage: $50,468.
Earned income credit: (reported on 24.5% of returns): $2,166. Number of houses and condos: 26,844. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 15,711. Percentage of renters: 65%. Population density: 13,363 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 4,177. Residents below the poverty level: 23.7%.
60653 (Bronzeville)
Population: 32,287. Men: 43.1%. Women: 56.9%. Unemployment: 16.1%. Race: Black 80.7%, White 2.1%, Hispanic/Latino 1.7%, Two or more races 1.4%, Asian 0.5%, American Indian 0.2%, Other 0.1%, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 0.02%, Unknown 13.30%. Median resident age: 36.2 years. Average salary/wage: $39,280.
Earned income credit (reported on 40.2% of returns): $2,864. Number of houses and condos: 16,601. Number of renter-occupied apartments: 10,960. Percentage of renters: 76%. Population density: 13,841 people per square mile. Households receiving SNAP benefits: 5,484. Residents below the poverty level: 33.0%.
By Peter Winslow
Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly in 2020 approved House Bill 516, which successfully reworked the State tax structure for a Chicago casino. The passing sent the measure to Governor JB Pritzker, who noted that he was pleased by the outcome and signed it into law.
“After decades of attempts to build a Chicago casino, I’m proud that by working together this administration and General Assembly has secured its future and paved a path forward for hundreds of millions of dollars annually to repair our schools, hospitals, and higher education buildings across the entire State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. He noted that “this legislation provides a reliable funding stream to our historic $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital program, and I thank the bipartisan members of the legislature as well as Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot for bringing this bill across the finish line.”
Mayor Lightfoot had championed the legislation since taking office in 2019, advocating strongly for a financially viable casino, a formerly insuperable measure her predecessors could not conquer.
“A Chicago casino represents a critical step toward shoring up our City’s pension obligations, driving much needed infrastructure funding across the State, and fueling thousands of new jobs for all of Illinois,” Lightfoot said.
Chicago’s allotment of the casino revenue will assist with the City’s underfunded police and fire pensions. Cook County will receive just 1% of the revenue, a small portion that officials will direct toward funding the criminal justice system further.
‘New construction vital’
Given the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on unemployment rates, a casino’s ability to create new jobs signals good fortune. “New construction is vital right now, especially as the city, county, and state are digging out of this recession,” said Phil Davidson, communications director at the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters. “The more people we can get to work and claw our way out of this, the better, especially union jobs that pay a prevailing wage.”
Although the estimated number of new jobs remains uncertain, Davidson expects at least several thousand, he said. Once open, the casino would create new non-construction jobs as well.
According to the Illinois Gaming Board and City of Chicago’s Casino Financial Feasibility Analysis of August 2019, Chicago has five proposed possible sites for the casino development, three of which are in or near this community: Harborside Illinois Port Authority Golf Course (located at 111th Street and Bishop Ford Freeway), the former Michael Reese Hospital (31st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue), the former Robert Taylor Homes site (Pershing Road and State Street), Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue, and the former U.S. Steel Plant (80th Street and Lake Shore Drive).
Lightfoot has said the list is “not definitive,” so appears to be open to other sites, but when queried by Gazette Chicago her office declined to comment concerning sites, and it has not released information about new or additional locations.
Lightfoot noted that, wherever the casino goes up, a robust community engagement process will “determine how the City can maximize the economic impact of such a development,” she said. The City has released no information about potential developers but expects to receive plenty of competing bids.
Some local elected officials expressed concern about the casino’s location. The vacant lot at Pershing Road and State Street falls within Ald. Pat Dowell’s 3rd Ward, and she continues to advocate against a casino there.
“The 3rd Ward has plenty of needs—additional housing, jobs, better schools, and more—but a casino is not one of them,” she said, noting she believes a casino is “simply not appropriate for this site. The surrounding community is a growing residential neighborhood, not a commercial entertainment district like the area around the casinos in Aurora, Joliet, or Des Plaines.”
Dowell added that “Chicago has other locations that are more suitable for a casino. Those other locations should be fully explored, with a robust, transparent process that involves residents and local elected officials working together to find the exact perfect site for this new development.”
Alderman Sophia King of the 4th Ward has expressed opposition to the Michael Reese site, saying the community “is adamantly against a casino at the former Michael Reese site. Casinos are known to have deleterious impacts on existing communities, especially communities of color. They siphon all of the inviting amenities that sustain vibrant communities.”
Concerns for gamblers
Some community members have also voiced concerns about a casino in the city and in this community. “The value of a casino to the City in dollars is one thing, but the destruction that it will cause problem gamblers and compulsive gamblers will be enormous unless they have the resources to assist those gamblers,” said Brian, a compulsive gambler in recovery who requested anonymity when speaking with Gazette Chicago. “What you need is more awareness of support groups, and the city is mandated and obligated to put signs up. Educating the public is the number one thing that needs to happen.”
The coronavirus has created economic hardships that some feel a casino will help alleviate, and others feel a casino will exacerbate.
“Approximately two to five percent of the population experience some sort of negative consequence due to gambling, such as using money that should be used to pay rent and bills, missing time with family, lying to others about where they have been, or minimizing how much they lost,” said Debbie Rull, a nationally certified gambling counselor, in a statement.
“Approximately one out of 100 people has a serious gambling addition, resulting in poor health, depression, divorce, job loss, crime, arrest, and even death,” Rull added. “The suicide rate among problem gamblers is higher than that of any other addiction.”
For the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, call (312) 787-3076. To contact Dowell, email [email protected] or call (773) 373-9273. To reach Gamblers Anonymous, call (855) 222-5542 or email [email protected].
For King, call (773) 5536-8103 or email [email protected]. To reach Lightfoot’s office, log on to www.chicago.gov/city/en/general/contact.html or call (312) 744-3300. For Rull, call (619) 521-5720, ext. 313.
By Susan Fortino-Brown
Immigration attorney
There are an estimated 11 million individuals living in the United States in unlawful status. This estimated number includes roughly one million young adults who were brought here as children, known as “Dreamers.” For several years, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin proposed the DREAM Act, that would have provided a path to permanent resident status and eventual citizenship for the Dreamers, but despite efforts by Senator Durbin and his colleagues, the United States Senate voted down all legislation related to the Dream Act. Frustrated with Congress’ inability to address this human rights problem, the Obama administration created DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
DACA is an act of executive authority that was announced and became effective on June 15, 2012, through an Executive Order from President Barack Obama. DACA provides temporary status and employment authorization for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. In its original format, DACA guaranteed “Deferred Action” status, which protects an individual against removal from the United States, as well as providing employment authorization—permission to work in the United States—in two-year increments. DACA does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence or citizenship in the United States. Over the last eight years, roughly 700,000 individuals in the United States have received approved DACA status from the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).
Despite the Trump administration’s repeated attempts to end the DACA program, it has, fortunately, been fully restored in recent months, after several nonprofit and community organizations sued the Trump administration. This past summer the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Trump administration’s attempts to end the DACA program lacked any lawful basis. In July 2020, the administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published memoranda in renewed attempts to again limit DACA benefits for applicants. Fortunately, however, a Federal judge vacated the restrictive DHS policy, and fully restored the DACA program in late 2020.
The DACA program has been restored to its original provisions. The court decision restoring DACA orders that USCIS must accept first-time requests for DACA benefits. It must also accept applications for advance parole travel permission for DACA recipients, extend the one-year period to the full two-year status provided by DACA, and extend the one-year employment authorization period to two years. Moreover, on January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order, “Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals,” which demonstrates the new administration’s commitment and support of the DACA program.
The Executive Order outlines and reiterates the policy basis for the DACA program established in 2012 under the Obama-Biden Administration. The executive order further instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to take the necessary steps to maintain and strengthen the DACA program. Presently, USCIS is accepting DACA extension applications as well as initial, first-time applications.
DACA requirements
To qualify for DACA, an applicant must have been physically present in the United States before their 16th birthday and have been under 31 years old on June 15, 2012. In addition, an applicant must demonstrate that he or she meets the following requirements:
Have continuously lived in the United States from June 15, 2007, to the present; are at least 15 years old at the time of filing a DACA application; have graduated high school, are currently enrolled in elementary school, middle school, high school or in a GED, ESL, literacy, or job training program; obtained a GED; or were honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces;
Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety; did not have lawful immigration status on June 15, 2012, and do not currently have lawful status; and were in the United States on June 15, 2012, and remain present in the United States.
Better yet, President Biden has indicated that he intends to propose new legislation that would provide permanent residence and a pathway to United States citizenship for DACA recipients. The Biden administration also favors proposing legislation that would grant a lengthy pathway to lawful residence and eventual United States citizenship for the estimated 11 million currently in the United States without lawful status. President Biden’s proposal would allow those who are undocumented to apply for temporary lawful resident status for a five-year period, pass background checks and pay taxes, seek lawful permanent residence and finally, after an additional three-years and further background checks, qualify to apply for United States citizenship. Given the extraordinary efforts by the outgoing administration to severely restrict all forms of immigration, we look forward with great optimism to what President Biden and the new Congress will deliver.
Editor’s note: Susan Fortino-Brown is an immigration attorney, Law Offices of Susan Fortino-Brown LLC, sfortintolaw.net, (312) 341-9009.
Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, named its athletic center for a longtime resident of the Near West Side/Little Italy community, William E. Lowry Jr.
Lowry, who graduated from Kenyon in 1956 with a bachelor of arts degree, was the fifth Black person to graduate from the school. He captained the football, basketball, and baseball teams; served as student body president; and was the first Black man initiated into the national Beta Theta Pi fraternity. The athletic center is the first building Kenyon has named for a Black alumnus.
Lowry served on the Kenyon board of trustees from 1988 to 2012 and now is a board member emeritus. The board voted unanimously in October to honor him permanently by renaming the Kenyon Athletic Center, which opened in 2006, for him. Also bearing his name is a scholarship to help underrepresented students.
“I was called and notified by the president and chairman of the board by phone,” Lowry said. The virtual dedication occurred in November by Zoom.
Lowry said that, when he arrived as a freshman, Kenyon was “the most beautiful place I had ever seen. My heart went out to Kenyon and it stayed there. I received a good education and developed principles of life. That beginning helped me in terms of my adulthood. Contributions since then are a part-payment.”
The son of two postal workers, Lowry was born and raised on the South Side. He attended the University of Chicago Lab School, then Francis Parker High School. After graduation from Kenyon, Lowry returned to Chicago, where he worked at Francis Parker as athletic director from 1960 to 1962.
In 1963, he joined the Inland Steel Co. During his early years at Inland, Lowry and two other African American businessmen founded the Youth Motivation Program, which sent men and women in various fields to talk to Chicago Public School students about career opportunities. The program reached more than one million students.
Lowry simultaneously studied industrial relations at Loyola University Chicago and earned a master’s degree in 1969. Through his work with the Youth Motivation Program,
WBBM-TV Channel 2 chose him to host The Opportunity Line, a weekly employment program that first aired in 1967. The station later changed the show’s name to Objective: Jobs and aired it for 24 years.
He became Inland’s director of personnel and recruitment before retiring in 1993. Lowry then spent 14 years as vice-president of human resources and administration at the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation and nine years as special assistant to the president of the Chicago Community Trust. For the past two years, he has chaired the Illinois State Labor Relations Board.
Lowry served on the finance committee of the former Notre Dame de Chicago Parish and was instrumental in producing a survey of parishioners regarding the church’s merger with Holy Family Parish. The parish now is called Our Lady of the Holy Family.
For exercise, the 85-year-old Lowry climbs the stairs in his and his wife Teri’s three-story townhouse, where he has lived since it was built in 1987. He does not envision moving. “I love the community,” Lowry said.
His son, Bill Lowry, is a Cook County commissioner and an attorney. His daughter, Kim Pitcher, works for Exelon. He also has a stepdaughter, Alexis Williams, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
—Susan S. Stevens
Printers Row Park now has that designation as its official name, thanks to the recent approval from the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners.
Local residents commonly have referred to the modest parcel of land, barely more than a one-third acre at 632 to 708 S. Dearborn St., as Printers Row Park since the district dedicated it as one of its own in 2009. The commissioners unanimously approved the appeal by its Park Advisory Council (PAC) to retire the official Park No. 543 moniker for the site.
PAC president Jim Rice said his organization applied for the official name in December 2019. Community meetings and a park district online 45-day comment period generated support and no objections.
He said locals have dubbed the land Printers Row Park for years and noted Google Maps already recognizes the name.
“We tried to formalize the process through park district rules,” Rice said. “It has taken a little longer because of coronavirus. A lot of people will be happy because the park is a point of pride.”
That pride fuels the volunteer groups who have kept the park clean and provide seasonal gardening. Rice said the work helped form an informal council for more than a decade.
Before virus-related cancelations, the park hosted an annual book fair and art fair. Its 2020 farmers market took place through mid-October.
As the next step in the park’s formal naming, workers will erect a sign; Rice and City officials expect the new sign’s placement will occur as part of a special event.
“I’m sure we will have one when it is safe to do so,” Rice said.
Prentice Butler, chief of staff for 4th Ward Ald. Sophia King, said the alderman has supported making the park’s accepted name its formal designation from the beginning.
In a Dec. 3, 2019, letter of support to Chicago Park District CEO Daniel Kelly, King said the name change “would put the park’s official name in line with the community’s understanding of it.”
Butler said King looks forward to participating in any event related to the park’s new name.
“The alderman has always supported community engagement, and this would be part of that effort,” Butler said.
Jackie Guthrie, park supervisor to several South Loop and Near West Side parks including Printers Row Park, complimented the PAC effort.
“I definitely applaud the advisory council for being committed to using the park and seeing that it has a formal name,” she said, noting the formalization helps connect the Printers Row PAC to the Chicago Parks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports Chicago’s parks.
Sonia Horvath, the foundation’s outreach and fiscal coordinator, said now that Printers Row PAC is a member, the organization can tap into the foundation’s fundraising and administrative resources.
Added Guthrie, “Formalizing the name also will help draw more attention to the park and hopefully attract even more volunteers throughout that neighborhood. There are a lot of people in the Printers Row neighborhood who appreciate it.”
One of those is Greg Borzo, an author of locally focused books, including Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains. He said former Mayor Richard M. Daley played a role in installing the current fountain at Printers Row Park.
“Daley was working out in a building across the street from the park and noticed the old fountain,” Borzo said. “He didn’t think the fountain belonged there. It was a Victorian style.”
The City removed that fountain, which had been installed in 2008, and reinstalled it at the Chicago Cultural Center. The current fountain provides a more ornamental sculpture Borzo said better reflects the area; architect Edward Windhorst created it in 2009.
Borzo and the PAC’s Jim Rice said the fountain, among other park elements, provides an important neighborhood focal point and noted Printers Row is not a destination park.
“It’s designed to be a flow through to and from the Loop,” he said. “It is bordered by Dearborn and Federal. The design of the park, with its pavers and the rest of the features, invites people to walk through and sit. And a lot of people use it.”
“The park livens up the neighborhood,” Borzo said. “It’s a gathering place for people. You often see people you know there. It’s a charming park.”
For the Printers Row Park, call (312) 742-3918. For the Chicago Parks Foundation, call (312) 742-4781. For Alderman King, call (773) 536-8103. For more on the PAC, log on to www.facebook.com/PrintersRowPark/.
—Rick Romano
Dear Editor:
A message to Illinois patients: B.E. W.E.L.L. concerning COVID-19.
Therefore, we would like to provide you with friendly reminders about health and wellness tips that everyone should constantly be practicing:
Be respectful: Wear a mask! Wear a mask when you’re in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Avoid masks that are made of materials that make it too hard to breathe. Also avoid masks with valves or vents that allow virus particles to escape and masks that should be saved for healthcare workers. Wear masks with two or more layers to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
Establish social distancing. Practice social distancing by putting space between yourself and others who are not from your household. Concerning indoor activities, this is critically important. The CDC recommends staying at least six feet or about two arms’ length from others.
Wash your hands. Wash your hands often and thoroughly to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Encourage your family members, particularly children, to wash their hands frequently.
Eradicate influenza risk: Get a flu shot. The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months and older. Research suggests patients can get sick with both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, which could amplify the effect of both infections.
Listen to your body: Don’t ignore routine healthcare; putting off regular visits to your physician or postponing care for chronic diseases may only exacerbate your condition. Be careful, but do not ignore your ongoing healthcare needs. And, if you think you’re sick, stay home! Monitor your symptoms, avoid close contact with everyone, and call ahead before visiting your doctor.
Limit gatherings, especially indoor events. When planning to host a gathering, you should assess current COVID-19 levels in your community to determine whether to postpone, cancel, or limit the number of attendees.
Sincerely,
Robert W. Panton, MD
President, Illinois State Medical Society
Gazette
1335 W. Harrison St.
Chicago, IL
60607-3318
312-243-4288
Fax: 312-243-4270
Mark J. Valentino
Editor & Publisher
Email Mark
William S. Bike
Associate Editor
Email Bill
Julie A. Becker
Advertising Manager
Email Julie
Carmen P. Valentino
Business Manager
Email Carmen
General Information
[email protected]